Going Down

Here's a little something from The Hill , with a hat tip to Michael Brodkorb from Minnesota Democrats Exposed, while we wait for the Rochester Post-Bulletin to catch up on Franken's troubles:

A new SurveyUSA poll shows voters are turned off by Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken’s recent tax problems.

The 500-person survey showed 59 percent of people say Franken’s tax issues make them less likely to vote for him. Franken failed to pay for workers’ compensation insurance for his personal corporation and to pay income tax in 17 states since 2003.

Just 31 percent said the problems made no difference.

More than half, 51 percent, said Franken should withdraw from the race, while 38 percent said he should stay in.

Another SurveyUSA poll of 700 adults showed Sen. Norm Coleman (R) reopening his lead over Franken, 52-42. Franken had narrowed the gap in recent months to near-even.

Franken had the support of 67 percent of Democrats, while Coleman received 99 percent of Republicans. Franken maintained a sizable edge among independents, though, 57-33.

Franken campaign manager Andy Barr said the campaign would rather ask whether voters “would be more or less likely to vote for Norm Coleman if they knew that he’d spent six years selling them out to help his special interest donor friends. My guess: less. But we’ll find out.”

Attorney Mike Ciresi, who dropped out of the Democratic race earlier this year, is weighing whether to get back in now that Franken’s campaign has stumbled.

— A.B.