The Star Tribune and Minnesota Poll have some new polling data on the race for political weasel Norm Coleman's Senate seat.
In short, Coleman's in trouble, but Franken and Cirisi are, so far, not closing the gap.
Unfortunately, I cannot find the raw questions and data online, so I'll have to take the information directly from the article.
As far as I am aware, the respondents weren't asked who they would vote for in the general election, so we only have job approval, and favorable/unfavorables to go by.
According to the poll, Coleman currently enjoys a 45% approval rating and a 37% disapproval, with 18% on the fence. This is not where a candidate wants to be when running for re-election. Unfortunately, his favorability rating is 52%
Two candidates, Dick Franson (76%) and Jim Cohen (68%), are so unknown that they don't factor into the race.
Of the two serious Democratic candidates, Mike Ciresi is the least known, with 51% of respondents saying they've never heard of him. Of the 35% who know and have feelings about the candiate, he enjoys a 20-15 favorable-unfavorable advantage.
Al Franken is the most widely known of the DFL (Democratic) challengers, but also has the worst favorable-unfavorable ratio. While only 29% don't know who he is 34% view him unfavorably, as opposed to 27% favorable. The plus side is that Coleman has 35% of the respondents who view him unfavorably, which puts them pretty close.
The plus side for the Democratic candidates is that as they campaign across the state and meet with the populace, they are also more likable. As Norm Coleman votes in Washington and campaigns around the state, he's seen as a political opportunist scrambling to keep his political career alive.
And to see the Democratic candidates in action at a debate, check out this story, also from the Star Tribune.