Coleman-Franken contest remains tight; Barkley gains traction

A pair of polls released this weekend indicate that the U.S. Senate contest is extremely close with less than two months until election day. The Minnesota Poll shows Republican Sen. Norm Coleman with a four-point advantage over Democrat Al Franken, 41 percent to 37 percent. Meanwhile SurveyUSA has the race a dead heat, with the incumbent holding a statistically insignificant 41-40 advantage.

But perhaps reflecting the rancid tone of the campaign, voters are turning away from both major party candidates in significant numbers. Dean Barkley, having easily secured the Independence Party’s backing in last week’s primary election, is now polling in double digits. The Minnesota Poll pegged his support at 13 percent, while SurveyUSA found that 14 percent of respondents intended to vote for him.