The Star-Tribune's latest poll shows Attorney General Mike Hatch (D) leading Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) in the governor's race 46-37 MoE: 3.4 percent, with Independence Party Candidate Peter Hutchinson running at 7 percent.
http://www.startribune.com/...
This is a good sign, of course, even as I admit that the Strib polls are traditionally more favorable to Democratic candidates. Their last poll had the race even, so this poll is showing movement. I have not had much optimism that Hatch could win the governor's race and worried that Pawlenty might have an easy victory. Now, though, it appears that Hatch has picked up some momentum.
Now, though, with Pawlenty on the ropes, Wetterling polling ahead of nutcase Michelle Bachman in the sixth, Klobuchar pounding Mark Kennedy, and Tim Walz pulling even in the first, it is looking like we have the potential for a very nice fall in Minnesota.
The Governor's latest advertisements are touting his support for a requirement that schools spend at least 70% of their funding in the classroom. It turns out that Minneapolis schools already spend that amount, but smaller, out-state schools do not. It appears to me that such a requirement would seriously impact smaller schools, traditional Republican areas. Hatch is opposed to the idea, of course (any such blanket policy is just bad governance). Of course, Pawlenty has cynically touted it as being focused on education -- when it might cause small towns to consolidate schools with other small towns to save on administrative expenses. It provided no benefit to the bigger schools that are already at that level.
I haven't heard Hatch respond to this -- my information on funding levels were published in the Strib earlier this year. If Hatch were to respond in out state areas, it would be devastating, I think, to Pawlenty.