Fresh prez polls track Pawlenty, Bachmann

A new poll published Thursday by the Wall Street Journal and NBC shows that their performances in this week's presidential debate notwithstanding, both Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann have a lot of ground to gain if they have any hope of snaring the Republican presidential nomination next year.

But two other polls show Bachmann surging in the wake of her widely praised performance in Monday's GOP debate. She's reached double digits among likely GOP primary voters, something Pawlenty hasn't managed in months of campaigning.

Both Minnesotans, the former governor and the current Sixth District member of Congress, are stuck in margin-of-error territory in the Journal/NBC poll. It found that 4 percent of Republicans nationwide favored Pawlenty for the party's nomination, while 3 percent backed Bachmann. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the putative Republican frontrunner, blew away the rest of the field, with the backing of 30 percent of those polled.

Another poll, conducted by Rasmussen Reports after the debate, found Bachmann in "a surprise second" to Romney, with the support of 19 percent of likely Republican primary voters. Romney was supported by 33 percent, while Pawlenty languished at 6 percent.

And a poll of likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters found Bachmann with the support of 10 percent -- again, second only to Romney.

BOB VON STERNBERG

Cull troops in Afghanistan, both senators say

The two Minnesota Democrats were among 27 senators who sent a letter to the White House, which faces a self-imposed July deadline to start troop withdrawals.

"When we started the surge in Afghanistan, the president said we would start drawing down our troops this July and we're holding him to that," Franken said in a statement. "There won't be a precipitous withdrawal, but our commitment isn't open-ended and unconditional."

All the signatories were Democrats, with the exception of Republicans Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky and Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders.

KEVIN DIAZ

Alaskan Ranger comes home

Begich, the former mayor of Anchorage and now a Democratic U.S. senator from Alaska, explored his northern Minnesota roots with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who has Range connections of her own.

"For the first time in United States Senate history we have two senators with roots on the Iron Range," Klobuchar said. "Our dads were born less than 60 miles apart, one in Ely, one in Eveleth. It will be great to bring Mark to the Range to see his uncle Joe and meet with area veterans."

Begich's father, Nick Begich, grew up in Eveleth and moved to Alaska, where he was elected to Congress in 1970. He died in an Alaska plane crash in 1972 along with House Majority Leader Hale Boggs of Louisiana and two others.

Begich is also the nephew of Joe Begich, a longtime elected official on the Range who served as mayor of Eveleth for four terms and then served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1974 to 1992.