Franken serious contender in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Polls suggest Minnesota's U.S. Senate race remains volatile as comedian Al Franken, a Democrat, seeks to oust incumbent Republican Norm Coleman.

While Franken demonstrated an edge in some polls, a St. Cloud State University poll showed Coleman leading among those interviewed with 36 percent, while Franken had 27 percent and Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley had 16 percent, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Saturday.

The poll, with a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points, surveyed 509 people Oct. 14-22, the Star Tribune reported, noting the poll might be the first in state history to include cell-phone users, which comprised about 15 percent of those polled.

Franken has given Coleman a serious run for a seat once considered safe by the GOP, The Washington Post reported Saturday, noting the race tightened when the economy turned sour.

Both the Democratic and the Republican parties see the race as critical to determining whether Democrats win a filibuster-proof 60 seats in the U.S. Senate, the Post reported.