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The Day After, 2006
It's now the morning after. In Minnesota, one trend has reversed, putting Tim Pawlenty out in front, with 98% of polls reporting. Pawlenty has a thin lead over Hatch as the Independence Party candidate, Peter Hutchinson, continues to act as a spoiler in favor of Hatch. The only reason I can see why Hutchinson is being a successful spoiler is that there are a lot of people I know that are still ticked at Pawlenty for signing off on the cigarette tax. Or was it a fee. Protest voting rarely helps. Let's hope that Pawlenty squeaks by the Perot Effect.
Kennedy has gone down in flames in the U.S. Senate race in Minnesota. This is unfortunate, as he is a smart guy. Smarter than Klobuchar. During the dinner last night, I recall that someone thought Kennedy's campaign was not handled very well. I don't know if I agree with that assessment, as I was not directly involved with the campaign. However, when seeing him on the tube, I often thought he came across as a bit geeky. Some of the radio ads I heard (okay, MOST of the radio ads I heard) supporting Kennedy, did not inspire me to vote for him, which goes back to the campaign that was run. Perhaps that was the bigger problem.
On the upside, John Kline will continue to serve as my congressman, defeating whistling Rowley with a 16 point margin.
Unfortunately, the Democrats are picking up a House seat from Minnesota, as Gil Gutknecht is defeated by Tim Walz.
Probably the worst defeat is the U.S. senate race in Pennsylvania, where Rick Santorum was defeated. This is a tough loss for America as Santorum is one of the best leaders in the Senate, from either party.
On the even exchange side, Joe Lieberman will return to the Senate after being purged from the Democratic Party during primary season. He owes his re-election to large numbers of Republicans voting to keep him in. Let us hope he recognizes that fact, regardless of which party he caucuses with. Maybe he'll wake up and smell the coffee and become a Republican.
Tags:
John Kline
Mark Kennedy
Tim Pawlenty
Minnesota Politics
2006 Election