Minnesota Senate
Filing Deadline: July 15, 2008 • Primary Date: Sept. 9, 2008 • General Election: Nov. 4, 2008Incumbent
Norm Coleman (R)
First elected in 2002; seeking second full term.
Campaign Web siteOfficial Web site
Almanac profile
NRSC profile
Challengers
Al Franken (DFL), satiristRichard Franson (DFL), former Minneapolis alderman
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer (DFL), college professor
Darryl Stanton (DFL), businessman
Jack Shepard (R), Vietnam veteran
Ranking and Analysis
Race Ranking: 6
Race Ranking: 6
This is still the only state that hasn't voted Republican for president since 1972. Despite the success of GOP governors, Minnesota still "wants" to be blue most years. Indeed, even though Republicans have won two Senate races here since 1988, both were with less than 50 percent of the vote. In those terms, it's undeniable that Norm Coleman is quite vulnerable. On the other hand, it remains to be seen how well the DFL nominee will be positioned to take advantage of those weaknesses this fall.
Ad Spotlight
- Mike Ciresi For Senate: "Why" (1/31/08)
- Mike Ciresi For Senate: "Change" (1/17/08)
- Mike Ciresi For Senate: "Middle" (1/17/08)
- Al Franken For Senate: "Mrs. Molin" (1/17/08)
- Al Franken For Senate: "I'm Running" (1/17/08)
View all political ads for this race:
Previous Election Results
| 2002 General | Total Votes | Percent | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norm Coleman (R) | 1,116,697 | 50% | $10,035,279 |
| Walter Mondale (DFL) | 1,067,246 | 47% | $1,833,029 |
| 2002 Primary | Total Votes | Percent | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norm Coleman (R) | 195, 630 | 94% | n/a |
| Jack Shepard (R) | 11,678 | 6% | n/a |
| 1996 General | Total Votes | Percent | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Wellstone (DFL) | 1,098,493 | 50% | $7,459,878 |
| Rudy Boschwitz (R) | 901,282 | 41% | $4,385,982 |
| Dean Barkley (Ref) | 152,333 | 7% | $37,240 |
Hotline Coverage
Check out the Hotline's coverage of the Minnesota senate race.
Race Rankings
Based on likelihood of seat switching party control
1.
Virginia
(Open-R)2.
New Mexico
(Open-R)3.
N.H.
(Sununu-R)4.
Colorado
(Open-R)5.
Louisiana
(Landrieu-D)6.
Minnesota
(Coleman-R)7.
Maine
(Collins-R)8.
Oregon
(Smith-R)9.
Alaska
(Stevens-R)10.
Mississippi
(Wicker-R)
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