Almanac: At the Capitol

Al Franken expanded his lead over Norm Coleman as more ballots were counted and the Senate passed its education bill that cuts K-12.

View the Capitol Update for April 7, 2009.

Leading my Campaign Notebook for this week, Pawlenty's national press blitz from "Face The Nation" this weekend, to FOX News earlier the week, from the Wall Street Journal story and sketch over the weekend.  We should know within weeks if he's the VP candidate. What will we talk about if he's not?

The Pew poll this week was big news. It's a good poll and details how McCain is picking up steam with older and blue collar voters.  It appears the same tightening of the race is happening here in Minnesota. Smart Politics talks about that and how Pawlenty's approval ratings have suffered in his home state with his visible national ambitions.  We'll have video proof of Obama's campaign in Minnesota trying to shore up this weakness with Walter Mondale and Josie Johnson launching a talking to seniors tour.

Then the Senate race, took another mudslinging turn as Coleman and Franken's campaigns tried to show the press they were more open and it was their opponents who were holding back details on unpaid utility bills and unpaid taxes.  As the Pioneer Press' Rachel Stassen-Berger so beautifully and bluntly asked each campaign yesterday "Don't Minnesotans have to choose between a tax cheat and a rent cheat?"  

Finally, Rep. Mark Olson just doesn't go away.  Instead of working at the local political level, now prominent Republicans are coming out against him from Sen. Norm Coleman to the Senate Republican Caucus who said he isn't welcome.  Assistant Minority Leader Sen. David Hann told me "We don't believe that Mark Olson should be a candidate."  When I said his local party chose to endorse him he said "I respect local endorsements, but we don't have to support their endorsement."