Why Franken (maybe) lost

Check out the Washington County election returns.

It’s generally considered a Republican county. Obama narrowly carried the county by a little under 5-percent. That’s quite an accomplishment.

Franken, on the other hand, lost the county by almost 10 percent of the vote. That’s a 14-percent swing down the ticket, in what is literally a “swing county.” It’s difficult for a DFL candidate to win when so many jumped ship to either Coleman or Barkley.

They thin switched back to the DFL, giving El Tinklenberg a narrow win in Michele Bachmann’s home county.

No coattails here.

Oh, by the way, look for Washington County to pull out of the agency that’s pooling the county’s sales tax increase for transportation. Lisa Weik’s victory in Woodbury appears to shift the County Board on the issue.