bachmannMinnesota has had more than its share of the national political spotlight in recent years. The Republican National Convention, Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s VP prospects and, of course the never-ending U.S. Senate contest have assured that Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has seen plenty of traffic from national political reporters. But the spotlight is likely to turn elsewhere in the current election cycle.

It’s never too early to handicap 2010 for political wonks, and the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza has posted his first breakdown of which House seats are most likely to switch parties in the current election cycle. None of Minnesota’s eight House seats make the cut.

By contrast, last year two races were in the national mix. The open Third Congressional District seat was consistently seen as one of the most competitive races in the country, while the Sixth Congressional District contest suddenly seized eyeballs after Rep. Michele Bachmann’s infamous Hardball blowup.

Cillizza is not alone in seeing little potential for political drama in Minnesota in 2010. The Cook Political Report has just two Minnesota races — the Third and the Sixth again — on its most recent list of competitive contests, and both are deemed “likely Republican.”

Rothenberg Political Report includes the same two Minnesota races on its rundown of competitive contests, categorizing both as “Republican favored.”