Klobuchar Facing Little Opposition In Minnesota
On the heels of a state election where Republicans picked up a U.S. House seat, took control of both the state House and Senate, and came close to winning a gubernatorial contest, one would think the GOP would have at least a decent shot in the state's 2012 Senate race with a Democrat up for reelection.
That is, unless the state being discussed is Minnesota and that Democrat happens to be Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D).
Klobuchar was elected to her first term in a landslide in 2006, defeating her Republican opponent by 20 points. She heads into 2012 with a very encouraging approval rating, statewide popularity and a notable lack of a formidable Republican challenger on the horizon; all at a time when many Senate Democrats are playing defense across the country.
"Clearly, it's going to be a formidable undertaking. I don't think there is any doubt about that," said Minnesota GOP strategist Gregg Peppin, of the challenge facing Republicans trying to unseat Klobuchar.
One key to Klobuchar's success has been her ability to sound bipartisan while still voting largely on party lines.
"You can't really classify her as a moderate, in that she is not near the Republicans in her voting behavior," said Carleton College political scientist Steven Schier. "But on the other hand, she has tried to find issues of modest magnitude where she can burnish her reputation as an effective senator, deal with issues that affect some aspects of her constituency, and work well with Republicans. And she has tried to do that, I think, more than a number of Democratic senators have."
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune notes that since January, Klobuchar has introduced 12 bills, nine with Republican co-sponsors. And many of them focus on consumer protection and law enforcement, a hallmark of her past as Hennepin County attorney.
Another key is Klobuchar's personal popularity.
"Amy Klobuchar has done a spectacular job of building a broad political base in the state," said former Rep. Vin Weber (R-Minn.). "No one is under any illusions that she is going to be easy to beat at all. I don't know for sure of anybody actually preparing to run against her. I expect somebody to come forward, but as of now, the field is pretty clear for her."
There has been -- unsurprisingly, because of the lack of intrigue in the Senate race -- little in the way of public polling of late on Klobuchar. An automated Public Policy Polling (D) survey in December found Klobuchar's approval rating to be around 59 percent and had her winning by double digits over several Republicans in hypothetical head to head contests. The Cook Report rates the race as "Solid" for Democrats.
Peppin mentioned three GOP names who have surfaced as possibilities for the race: Randy Gilbert, a former candidate for state auditor, former state House Speaker Steve Sviggum and Bill Guidera, who works for News Corp. But they are hardly household names. Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R), who would be a leading recruit, has said he will not run against Klobuchar.
In presidential elections, Minnesota has the longest streak of voting Democratic of any state (1972 is the last time the state went Republican). In 2008, then-Sen. Obama won the state by 10 points, but 2004 was much closer, as Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) defeated George W. Bush by three points.
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