Apr 26, 2009 5:32 pm US/Central
Poll Finds Minnesotans Want Coleman To Concede
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ―
-
-
Just 28 percent say Coleman's appeal last week to the Minnesota Supreme Court is "appropriate." (File)
AP
A Star Tribune Minnesota Poll finds nearly two-thirds of those surveyed believe Norm Coleman should concede the U.S. Senate race to Al Franken, but just as many believe the state's voting system needs improvement.
The poll found that 64 percent of respondents believe Coleman, the Republican, should accept an April 13 verdict by a three-judge panel that Democrat Franken won the race by 312 votes. Just 28 percent say Coleman's appeal last week to the Minnesota Supreme Court is "appropriate."
Coleman's personal favorability rating also took a hit in the poll, with 38 percent viewing him favorably and 55 percent unfavorability. But Franken doesn't do a whole lot better, viewed favorably by 43 percent and unfavorably by 48 percent.
The random telephone survey of 1,042 Minnesota adults has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. It was conducted over a four-day period starting last Monday, when Coleman filed his appeal to the state Supreme Court.
"I voted for Coleman, but this thing has gone on way too long," Mike McCombs, 50, a Lakeville furnace and air conditioning salesman, told the Star Tribune. "Obviously, the Republican Party is trying to keep Franken's vote out of the United States Senate. We should get another (senator) in there."
Coleman's appeal to the state Supreme Court is based on 4,400 rejected absentee ballots that he says should be tallied because others with identical disqualifying mistakes were already counted.
"While we understand the frustration that Minnesotans have, it's important to get this right, not only for the 4,400 disenfranchised Minnesotans, but for everyone so that we can all have faith in the accuracy of the final outcome," said Coleman spokesman Tom Erickson.
Franken spokesman Andy Barr said the poll numbers speak for themselves.
"Minnesotans understand that this process has been meticulous and fair ... that our election system in Minnesota is sound and that Al Franken received more votes than Norm Coleman on Election Day," Barr said.
Public fatigue with the Senate contest, now nearing the end of its sixth month, echoed through the poll's findings. While 57 percent of Republican respondents approve of Coleman's appeal to the state high court, the same portion of Republicans hope he quits if he loses there.
Half of all Democrats polled think Franken should concede if Coleman wins before the state high court, while only 38 would prefer he take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents thought the recount and seven-week trial were fair and impartial. But two-thirds said the election system either needed improvement (46 percent) or was seriously flawed (21 percent). Just 30 percent said they thought it generally accurate and fair.
Information from: Star Tribune,
http://www.startribune.com
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Northstar Opens Despite Efforts To Block
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
