By Mike Kaszuba

With some new polls showing the race for Minnesota governor tightening, Tom Emmer's bus pulled up alongside his campaign office in Minnetonka on Friday afternoon. Former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman had just begun to speaking to the crowd of Republican campaign workers and Emmer supporters.

"Timing is everything," said Coleman as the Republican gubernatorial candidate, wearing a blue plaid shirt and accompanied by his wife, bounded off the campaign bus. The crowd, numbering about a hundred, cheered loudly. Moments before Emmer's arrival, Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek flatly told the crowd: "Eighty-six hours to go" until the polls open. There were a few gasps, and many nods of approval. Emmer, smiling and predicting victory, seemed to be energized by some of the poll news. One of the latest polls, released by KSTP/Survey USA, showed DFLer Mark Dayton at 39 percent, and Emmer at 38 percent. Most other polls however have been showing Dayton with a larger lead. "I get up yesterday morning, and somebody tells me. . .you're down by 12 points," said Emmer. "By the time we went to bed last night, we were tied!" The crowd roared. Coleman reminded the audience not to forget the lessons of his 2008 U.S. Senate race, which the Republican lost by a narrow margin following a long, tedious recount. "Less than one vote in every three precincts decided the U.S. Senate race," he told the now hushed gathering. "One vote, three precincts. Not one precinct – three. "The future is in your hands," said Coleman. Roxann Johnson, who lives in Eden Prairie and volunteers for Emmer's campaign, liked what she heard. "He's the man," she said, as Emmer made his way back onto the campaign bus after the brief stop. Emmer, who had just come from Long Prairie, was now headed to St. Paul as he entered a frantic, final weekend. "I think there is a surge [toward Emmer]," said Bill Frantzich, a semi-retired oral surgeon from Wayzata, who stood alone as the crowd melted away. The new polls, he said, have "determined it's a dead-even heat."