politics

Minnesota election races, from governor and U.S. Senate on down to legislative contests, are awhirl in a final round of door-knocking, campaigning, advertising and hoping that will mark the last frenzied week before Election Day.

Presidential hopeful and rising Democratic star Barack Obama stoked excitement at a rally Monday evening for U.S. Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar, while Gov. Tim Pawlenty continued a "Jobs and Economy" tour rivaling Mike Hatch's "Middle Class Tour."

These state contests have been nationalized like few others in recent years, with voters' sentiments centered on the war and the economy.

From boots fresh off Iraqi soil preparing for yet another deployment to middle-class workers with soaring medical co-pays, from those jittery over North Korean nukes to fearful homeowners who know they pulled too much equity out of homes in a market gone soft, anxiety is everywhere.

The release valve for all the tension will come in seven days, when voters get to blow off steam and send a message that not only will determine these election outcomes, but also will help shape the presidential race for 2008.

And the coming days will look a little like a dress rehearsal for the 2008.

In addition to the visit by Obama, D-Ill., other top-shelf presidential hopefuls will make appearances in Minnesota. Sen. John McCain will fly around the state with Pawlenty on Wednesday and Sen. John Kerry will stump for Tim Walz, the DFLer now threatening what was once thought to be a safe seat for Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht in the First District. Former Vice President Al Gore will headline a rally for Klobuchar on Thursday.

Missing from the celeb list is President Bush, who is sticking to friendlier territory in Georgia and Texas.

At stake in Minnesota is the race for retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton's seat, a Republican governor fighting for reelection against the Democratic attorney general, and two red-hot congressional races that have drawn national attention and are widely viewed as bellwethers for control of the U.S. House.

One level down, fierce contests over control of the DFL-led Minnesota Senate and the bare majority in the GOP-controlled House are being fought in 201 legislative districts across the state.

Behind the scenes, Republicans and Democrats are investing huge resources in voter turnout, with each side counting on sophisticated micro-targeting efforts to produce the 1.5 to 3 percentage point edge that could win close races.

election 2006 the main events

GOVERNOR

Candidates:

Tim Pawlenty, GOP

Mike Hatch, DFL

Peter Hutchinson, IP

The race so far: The incumbent governor and DFL attorney general have slugged it out for months but remained essentially dead even, while Hutchinson has never risen above single digits. Now Pawlenty, slipping slightly behind Hatch in the most recent poll, will spend the next week making the case that he has done more than not raise statewide taxes and would spend a second term "getting education right." Hatch, capitalizing on his reputation for taking on HMOs, will push health care, higher ed and lower property taxes as his key issues.