A-Klo crushes

No real analysis needed here, simply put, unless Amy Klobuchar gets caught sending a tweet of little Amy to a high school kid, she's a virtual lock for re-election.

PPP (6/2, 12/7 in parenthesis):

Amy Klobuchar (D-inc) 54 (53)
Tim Pawlenty (R) 41 (43)
Undecided 5 (4)

Amy Klobuchar (D-inc) 57 (56)
Michele Bachmann (R) 37 (39)
Undecided 5 (4)

Amy Klobuchar (D-inc) 57
Chris Barden (R) 30
Undecided 13

Amy Klobuchar (D-inc) 56
Dan Severson (R) 28
Undecided 16

Amy Klobuchar (D-inc) 55
Dave Thompson (R) 28
Undecided 17
(MoE: ±2.9%)

Tim Pawlenty runs the closest but he's busy, as is Michele Bachmann. The actual potential candidates run way behind, between -27 and -28. This is partly a function of a lack of name recognition; Barden is at 4/14, Severson is at 8/13, and Thompson is at 7/11, so right now no one knows who the hell any of them are.

But that's the least of the GOP's problems, Amy Klobuchar, is sitting pretty with a 61/28 approval spread. 28% of self described Republicans approve of the job Amy is doing, but most importantly she has a 76/13 spread among moderates. She's easily the most popular currently serving politician in the state of Minnesota, so that's who the GOP is up against.

Amy's numbers are even better than they were when PPP last polled in December. The GOP is starting from a huge disadvantage in this race, whomever their candidate ends up being will have a two pronged challenge; they will have to boost their own name recognition, particularly their favorable numbers, while at the same time bring Amy's down.

As usual when covering a PPP poll, I'll let Tom Jensen have the last word:

Klobuchar's one of the safest Senators in the country up for reelection next year. You want to look for a Minnesota politician who could have serious Presidential potential somewhere down the line? It's probably Klobuchar. There are few Democratic Senators who have as much appeal across party lines as her and she manages that popularity with independents and Republicans without antagonizing voters within her own party. That's a good formula if she can take it national.