From Evans-Novak Political Report for 1/31 . . .
Minnesota: Liberal comedian Al Franken has announced that his radio show will end on February 14, and his announcement hints that he will follow up on his long-stated desire to run against Sen. Norm Coleman (R) next year.
Democrats in Minnesota are on a roll right now after two successful state-level elections. They failed to unseat Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), but they gained several seats in the state legislature in both 2004 and 2006, in addition to the U.S. House seat of Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn.).
Franken is the Republicans' favorite candidate. Rep. Betty McCollum (D), also talked about for the race, is comfortable in the House majority with her seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee. She would be considered weak outside the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, but Franken would probably be even weaker.
What happened to Minnesota's 2004 Republican trend?
