showed that Al Franken had raised $7.04 million through December 31, 2007, while Norm Coleman had raised $6.24 million. Year-end cash on hand was $6.04 million for Coleman and $3.10 million for Franken. Note: The ±% column reflects the change in total number of votes won by each party from the previous election. Additionally, votes cast for Paul Wellstone in the 2002 election are not factored into the DFL's total from that year. The 2008 U.S. Senate election in Minnesota featured first-term Republican incumbent senator Norm Coleman, Democrat Al Franken, a comedian and radio personality, and former U.S. senator Dean Barkley, a member of the Independence Party of Minnesota. A December 2007 poll showed Coleman's approval rating among Minnesota voters at 53%. The seat was heavily targeted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee because of Minnesota's Democratic leanings and recent Democratic gains in national and statewide elections. These factors, coupled with a national political climate favorable to Democrats, made the Minnesota Senate race one of the most competitive and closely watched of the cycle. Franken announced his candidacy on February 14, 2007, more than 20 months before the election. Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, a professor at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minnesota), joined the race in October 2007. Attorney Mike Ciresi, an unsuccessful candidate in the 2000 Democratic U.S. Senate primary, was considered a serious candidate, but withdrew from the race on March 10, 2008, clearing the path for Franken to secure the party's nomination. Barkley, who had briefly been appointed Senator after the death of Paul Wellstone in 2002, ran under the banner of the Independence Party, the largest third party in Minnesota. He was included in most of the debates and ultimately received 15% of the vote in the general election, a strong showing for a third party candidate. It is not clear whether Barkley detracted more votes from Coleman or Franken. Polls over the course of the campaign indicated that the race was very competitive, with many polls showing Franken and Coleman virtually tied or within the margin of error, as well as several polls showing each candidate with a significant lead at one point or another. The presence of a serious third party candidate further complicated matters. On November 4, 2008, Coleman received 1,211,590 votes to Franken's 1,211,375 votes, a margin of 215 votes, far less than 0.1%, thereby triggering an automatic recount. Barkley received 437,404