Sabato on Minnesota governor’s race: It’s a toss up

Prof. Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, is known for his political prognostications, and he’s released his views on where the Minnesota gubernatorial race sits today: a toss up.

Sabato puts Mark Dayton and Margaret Anderson Kelliher as top picks for the DFL primary and says that Tom Emmer’s right-wing conservatism may not be a liability.

“Minnesota has long ceased to be the predictable liberal state of Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale, so Emmer’s pedigree isn’t an automatic disqualifier and early polls show Emmer essentially tied with the Democratic frontrunners,” he wrote. “Still, Democrats have a reasonable chance to take over the reins after the Pawlenty era if they can successfully make their way through a vigorous nominating process.”

He says Independence Party candidate Tom Horner could throw the race for either DFLers or the GOP: “This being the land of Jesse Ventura, there will also be a representative of the Independence party on the ballot, Tom Horner, and his percentage points could tip the balance one way or another.”