This column misstated the first name of Delaware Lt. Gov. John Carney (D).
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If, Hypothetically, Two Senate Seats Were to Open Up . . .
Another Jesse Ventura?
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The 2008 U.S. Senate race in Minnesota is starting to look like deja vu all over again.
A new poll conducted for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune showed comedian Al Franken (D) leading the contest with 43 percent of the vote, compared with 34 percent for GOP Sen. Norm Coleman and 18 percent for independent Dean Barkley. And a survey released Friday by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee pegged the race at 38 percent for Franken, 36 percent for Coleman and 12 percent for Barkley.
Barkley, who served briefly in the Senate after the death of Sen. Paul Wellstone (D) in 2002, continues to gain support statewide from voters disgusted with the negative tone of the advertising of Franken and Coleman.
Sound familiar? It should.
Back in 1998, Jesse Ventura, a former professional wrestler running as the Reform Party's nominee for governor, began picking up momentum at almost the same point in the election cycle. Ventura's candidacy was fueled by voters' distaste for the two major-party nominees -- Coleman and state Attorney General Hubert "Skip" Humphrey (D) -- and his inclusion in the high-profile gubernatorial debates. (Barkley, too, has a place in all five of the Senate debates, the first of which took place Sunday night.)
On election night, Ventura shocked the political world by taking 37 percent of the vote, to Coleman's 34 percent and Humphrey's 28 percent.
Barkley has been citing the Ventura stunner on the campaign trail of late, telling the Morris Sun Tribune: "The path is there to win this. Whether that happens or not, I don't know. But this is actually more doable than Ventura's was."
More Twittering
The Fix spent Thursday night "Twittering"-- in 140-character chunks of wit and wisdom! -- the first and, unfortunately, only vice presidential debate between Alaska Gov. Sarah "Doggone Right" Palin and Delaware Sen. Joe "I Love John McCain" Biden. Some of our favorite tweets are below. Missed our vice presidential Twitter? There's always tomorrow -- literally. We'll be Twittering the second presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain in Nashville. Go to http:/
· "The navel-gazing question: 'What is your Achilles heel?' No chance either answers."
· "Who can out-folksy the other? Wasilla versus Wilmington!"
· "Palin is going to make sure you know that McCain is a 'maverick.' "
· "Biden has obviously been told not to call Palin by her first name . . . he just did and corrected himself to say 'Governor Palin.' "
1 DAY: Obama and McCain square off at Belmont University in Nashville for their second presidential debate -- this one in a town hall format. College basketball fans remember Belmont's near-upset of Duke in the first round of last year's NCAA tournament. Will tomorrow night's debate provide similar fireworks?
9 DAYS: The Boss and the Piano Man get together for a fundraiser for Barack Obama in New York City. Fix picks? "Reason to Believe" for Bruce Springsteen and "We Didn't Start the Fire" for Billy Joel.
