2010 elections taking shape now in MN
With a month remaining until election day 2009, incumbent Minneapolis Mayor Raymond “R.T.” Rybak is focusing his attention and energy on his 
re-election bid in the largest city in the state. But many of the people that persuaded him to be the first mayor to join the “Draft Obama” movement back in early 2007 are now hard at work with “Draft Rybak for 2010 Governor” plans, and their efforts seem to be gaining attention and momentum.
The Mayor has taken no official stance with regard to the race to replace former GOP darling Tim Pawlenty, but he can often be seen at the same events with those in his party who have already declared their intentions to run.
Rybak’s family connections to small-town “out-state” Minnesota values and his effective governance of Minneapolis in difficult times are seen as giving him a strong position in the race even before he’s done with his current campaign (which, admittedly, looks like another win for the wildly popular Mayor – his teal signs dominate local yards.)
The elite GOP strategists who found Pawlenty too centrist in August 2008 after he suggested just prior to the nominating conventions that his party ought to adopt a campaign strategy more like Obama’s (resulting in the surprise pick of then-Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska to be McCain’s running mate) must be scratching their heads as they contemplate the challenges in Minnesota’s now infamous 6th district, where 
Representative Michelle Bachmann barely hung on to her seat.
The pack of challengers has thinned somewhat, while Bachmann’s extremist rhetoric has painted her into the unenviable position of asking for votes to return to her seat in government while professing to be anti-government. The clear front-runner is State Senator Tarryl Clark, and her campaign is already in gear and raising impressive cash (a little over $300,000 in the past two months or so.)
GOP incumbent Representative John 
Kline, from MN’s 2nd Congressional district, will also likely face a protracted battle, as reliable sources indicate a DFL candidate will make a formal announcement before the end of this month based on the strength of reactions to his exploratory committee.
Kline seemed to have the easiest time of the 3 GOP incumbents in the fall 2008 elections, but the natives are getting restless in his district and his townhall meeting — no less staged then Bachmann’s (but stronger since he didn’t require a wingman to help fill the allotted time as she did) – was unimpressive. Journalists seem to find ample reason to scrutinize and fact check Kline, who has been careful recently not to make unscripted appearances or field unpredictable questions. There’s no real shine in Kline’s record going into the second half of this term, though Dan Powers will have his work cut out as he seeks to replace Kline to represent the southern Twin Cities suburbs.
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An update, from the Star Tribune, 16 Nov 2009:
From the Grand Old Party (GOP) side of the aisle:
Republicans were given a choice among Coleman, who has said he’ll decide next year whether to run for governor, state Reps. Marty Seifert, Tom Emmer and Laura Brod.
Half of those polled said Coleman was their pick. Seifert, who was the choice of 11%, and Emmer, who was picked by 1%, are both actively running for governor. Brod, who got 5% in the poll, hasn’t made clear if she will run or not. [Odd that they didn't include the former 6th District Congressman, Mark Kennedy, in the poll - he appears to be waiting on Coleman's decision.]
From the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party:
30% of those polled picked Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak as their favorite and 30% picked former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton. House Speaker Margaret Anderson-Kelliher pulled in 8% and former state Rep. Matt Entenza got 5% in the poll. [One should not write off other DFL candidates in the hunt, such as Steve Kelley, John Marty, and Paul Thissen - but it does look like a Rybak vs. Dayton decision when the endorsement convention rolls around.]
Bonus: