CQ on senate race: Klobuchar favored

Congressional Quarterly has changed its assesment of the Minnesota Senate race between Rep. Mark Kennedy and Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar. After weeks of polls showing Klobuchar with a commanding lead--with the margin ranging from 7 points to 16--the influential beltway publication now views the contest as "Democrat-favored." Here's CQ's take on the race:

GOP Rep. Mark Kennedy is struggling to rebut Democrats' efforts to portray him as too close to President Bush, who narrowly lost the state in 2004 and has grown much more unpopular since. A battery of polls about the open seat show county prosecutor Amy Klobuchar with double-digit percentage point leads.