Franken, left, and Senator Coleman
Senator Norm Coleman has been running away from President Bush at the speed of sound lately and it's been paying off at home. In March of last year Coleman accused Bush of having a "tin ear" on issues such as Hurricane Katrina, the nomination of former White House counsel Harriet Miers to the bench and the controversy over the sale of U.S. ports to a Dubai-owned company; Coleman called on Bush to shake up his staff to better "hear" the will of the people. And this summer, Coleman signed onto a moderate plan that called for a change of course in Iraq. A tight Democratic challenge between Mike Ciresi, a trial lawyer who ran against Coleman in 2000, and comedian Al Franken, should help Coleman's chances at re-election. "The question is can Franken beat Coleman?" Cook said. "It's a really iffy race. Coleman would've had a tougher time if Democrats had recruited a House representative or state senator to run against him, someone a lot less polarizing."
— Jay Newton-Small/Washington