Things would go very badly for Rep. Michele Bachmann if she dared to challenge Al Franken for his Senate seat. The latest PPP poll found that Franken would defeat Bachmann 55%-38%.
Al Franken is turning out to be a very popular senator. Sen. Franken has an overall approval rating of 51%. Franken’s approval is 87% with those who are very liberal, 83% with somewhat liberals, 66% with moderates, 15% with somewhat conservatives, and 5% with very conservatives. Franken’s approval rating with Minnesota’s Obama voters is 88%. Sen. Franken leads every single one of his potential Republican challengers by at least 15 points. His biggest lead (18 points) comes against Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Bachmann’s unpopularity statewide nearly equals Franken’s popularity. Bachmann’s statewide unfavorable rating is a huge 60%. Only 34% of the those polled expressed a favorable opinion of her. Bachmann had a 90% disapproval rating with Obama voters, and only a 65% favorable rating with Romney voters. Bachmann has a 15% approval rating with very liberals, a 10% approval rating with somewhat liberals, a 15% approval rating with moderates, a 63% approval rating with somewhat conservatives, and a 76% approval rating with very conservative respondents.
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If Bachmann did decide to challenge Franken, it would be a total rout for the Democrat. With the FBI joining the investigation into her 2012 presidential campaign, Bachmann may not be much longer for the House. However, it is unlikely that she would challenge Sen. Franken. On the other hand, this is Michele Bachmann and her wildly delusional ambitions that we are discussing so anything is possible.
There is a perception among some nationally that Bachmann is popular both in her district, and in the state of Minnesota. Except for the Republican wave year of Bachmann has won each of her House races by single digits. Her narrow defeat of Jim Graves last year was the biggest omen yet that she is on the decline.
The odds are that Bachmann will remain in her House seat until the voters remove her, or she is led out of the building in handcuffs. Either way, she would be fool to challenge Al Franken who looks like a lock to win reelection.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
