Al Franken Trails Norm Coleman by 22 Points in Minnesota

I'm Al Franken, and I trail Norm Coleman by 22 points for the US Senate seat from Minnesota.  Comedian turned liberal shock jock for Air America Al Franken would get smoked by the Minnesota Republican if the election were held today, a new poll claims.  The good news fro Franken, the election is 18 months away.  According to Mason Dixon Polling and Research Coleman would defeat Franken 54 to 32 percent.

Al Franken Trails Norm Coleman by 22 Points in Minnesota

Coleman's job approval rating is down, though.  Fewer than half of the people interviewed in the MPR polls last week -- 48 percent -- said they think Norm Coleman is doing a "good" or "excellent" job as Minnesota's U.S. senator. Additionally just 43 percent of the respondents had a favorable opinion of Coleman a quarter of have an unfavorable opinion.

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Mike Ciresi is also vying for the Democratic nomination to face Coleman.  He wouldn't fare any better - at least in the poll - as he trails Coleman by a 52 to 29 percent margin.  More bad news for Franken, according to the poll, nearly 8 of 10 Minnesotans know who Franken is and, of them, nearly a third have an unfavorable opinion of him.

"I think Al Franken starts out with baggage," said University of Minnesota political scientist Lawrence Jacobs. "There's no doubt that his past career as a comedian is dogging him a bit."  Mike Ciresi's problem might be that more than a third of Minnesotans don't know who he is. Political observers say it's easier to bolster a profile than it is to turn around an unfavorable opinion.