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Eye On: Minnesota

The state that once elected a former professional wrestler as governor may soon choose a former comedian to serve as its senator.

Just like New Jersey’s senate race, which Mishpacha profiled last week, Minnesota’s choice is between two Jewish candidates, the incumbent, Republican Norm Coleman, and Democrat Al Franken, best known for his political satire on Saturday Night Live.

Minnesota has some 50,000 Jews — about 1 percent of the state’s five million residents. Most Jews live either in the twin cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, where the Republican National convention will be held in September, or in Duluth.

Senator Coleman has distinguished himself as a strong supporter of Israel and has been a proponent of school vouchers that could potentially be of help to Orthodox Jewish families in relieving their high tuition burdens.

In a profile of Mr. Franken, the New York Times wrote that behind the veneer of the comedy, is someone with a strong grasp of the issues, whose liberal Jewish upbringing has led him to grapple with the weighty issue of the Holocaust and instilled in him a passion for civil rights. The Times admitted that Mr. Franken benefits from “living in an era when the lines between politics, entertainment, and media are blurred.” Minnesota voters proved they are good at blurring too when they elected Jesse Ventura as governor in 1998, labeled by the Los Angeles Times as a professional wrestler and amateur governor.

Most polls show the Coleman-Franken race is deadlocked and concern over Coleman stems from the fact that his approval rating can’t seem to stay north of 50 percent. His support for the war in Iraq and his close relationship with President Bush seem to be weighing heavily against him in a state likely to go heavily for Barack Obama in November.

— Binyamin Rose

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