Oct 24, 2008 6:21 pm US/Central
Senate Candidates Gear Up For Another Debate
(WCCO)
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With a race this close, a strong performance or a misstep could make a difference.
Dean Barkley, Norm Coleman, Al Franken
Friday night Republican Norm Coleman, Democrat Al Franken, and Independence candidate Dean Barkley will face off in another Senate debate.
Broadcast on public television, the debate will be less structured than the three before it. There's a chance the candidates will step outside their sound-bites and canned political speeches. Time is running out and the race is still too close to call.
That's unusual with an incumbent U.S. Senator in the race. Republican Norm Coleman is spending these last days of the campaign trying to convince voters he is an 'independent' voice for Minnesota.
What that really means is that he's distancing himself from a once-popular Republican President George Bush.
That's exactly what Al Franken is trying to get voters to believe: that Coleman is closely linked to the Republican Party and the president, supporting Bush on most important issues, from the Iraq war to the economy.
The wild card in all of this is Independent candidate Dean Barkley. He's run an increasingly aggressive campaign against both Franken and Coleman, saying they are making promises they cannot keep.
Barkley's been surprisingly strong in the polls for an independent candidate, up to 19 percent. The debate is key for him to make a strong showing if he wants to move up.
WCCO's Pat Kessler said Barkley is likely to be the most aggressive in the debate. Franken and Coleman will likely be more careful about what they say, though Coleman may go on the attack since most polls have him slightly trailing Franken.
After Friday night there's only one debate left; only one more event where all three candidates will share a stage.
With a race this close, a strong performance or a misstep could make a difference.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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