Photo: MnIndy

Photo: MnIndy

A new poll suggests Sen.-elect Al Franken would have trouble following President Barack Obama’s vault from a single Senate-election victory to the White House. Beyond that, it’s not clear why it matters that 44 percent of voters across the country have an unfavorable view of the Democrat or that 34 percent like him at least “somewhat.” According to the pollster, Rasmussen Reports, “It is fairly typical for individual legislators to have negative favorability ratings on a national basis.”

The 22 percent who aren’t sure what they think of Franken and the 40 percent who followed his election saga not very closely or not at all will get a chance to form an opinion in less than two weeks, when the Senate Judiciary Committee takes up the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. Senate leaders saved Franken a seat on the committee, where he’s sure to be under the national media microscope.

Rasmussen’s polls within Minnesota have provided interesting peeks at the progress of the battle between Franken and former Sen. Norm Coleman, both before and after Election Day. In late October, Rasmussen reported Coleman leading Franken by a four-point spread that was within the poll’s margin of error. Between two polls taken in December and March, the proportion of Minnesotans who thought Franken won increased by 16 points to a level reaching nearly half the voting population.

By mid-May, Rasmussen put the percentage who wanted Coleman to concede at 54 percent (other polls pegged it at 10 percentage point higher).

Whatever the number, this week they got their wish.