Thoughts on Minnesota

A couple Minnesota pieces this morning:

Jonathan Singer at MyDD takes a look at the potential Democratic challengers for the 2008 Senate race in Minnesota, primarily through the prism of Nicole Duran's Roll Call piece looking at Al Franken's possible entry to the race. Singer notes Republican incumbent Norm Coleman's relatively low approval and his out-of-step conservative bent in moderate Minnesota. Also notes Singer:

According to Duran, Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum has decided to forgo a run at the Senate (as she did this cycle, to the consternation of some), but other Dems looking at the race include Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, "St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman (no relation to the Senator); outgoing state Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson; state Sen. Becky Lourey; and attorney Mike Ciresi."

And speaking of Norm Coleman, The Minnesota Daily, the "independent, student-produced newspaper on the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota," offers a scathing critique of the hopefully-outgoing-in-2008 Republican.