Is Barkley Killing Franken In Minnesota?

3 Is Barkley Killing Franken In Minnesota? A new poll of "likely votes" in Minnesota released yesterday by Mason-Dixon reports incumbent Republican Norm Coleman leading his opponent, Democrat Al Franken by six points, 42-36, with 12% of respondents favoring Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley. The state is not new to third party candidacies, electing independent Jessie Ventura governor a few cycles back. "If Coleman puts daylight between Franken’s numbers and his own on Election Day, he may have Barkley to thank," writes Mason-Dixon, "While he has shored up 89% of voters who identify as Republicans, with  only 4% defecting to Barkley’s camp, only about three out of four Democrats say that they support their party nominee, with 17% of Democratic voters favoring the Independence Party candidate over Franken." <a href="http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/30/1616292.aspx">For more on this race and the "Third Party Effect" click here. </a>

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