Interesting...

This article in the Strib caught my eye this morning. It's a poll that gauges Minnesota's political leanings and it's found something surprising. It found a slightly larger number of GOP voters than DFLers. This is most interesting in regards to the upcoming Senate race. With a slight Republican majority in the Senate, it would only take a few Democratic victories to swing it. A Dem loss in MN would make that swing unlikely.
But how likely is that loss? On election day of 2004 I spent the afternoon here in south Minneapolis watching early poll results. Three different DFL workers stopped by the house to make sure we'd voted. The machinery to create turnout here is truly amazing. As the 2004 tide turned more and more Rep nationwide, MN was an exception. Based on those things, I've assumed that this particular Senate seat would remain Dem, and frankly I still do.
But...individual elections turn on many things. The relative strengths of the candidates as people is one of the biggest ones. Local (statewide) issues are also important. And events on the ground can always make unexpected changes.
Should be an interesting six months.