For some state Republicans, former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman is the best choice to replace Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2010, according to a recent Rassmusen poll.

About 50 percent of 330 Republicans polled said they would vote for Coleman, with his next closest GOP competitor, Rep. Marty Siefert, pulling in 11 percent of the votes. About 25 percent of  Republicans polled said they did not have a favorite candidate yet, according to the Star Tribune.

Coleman lost his Senate seat to Democrat Al Franken in a long and ugly election that turned into a recount and then finally into a trial brought by Coleman. Many political analysts speculated that Coleman’s decision to push for the trial would hurt his public image. But for state Republicans so far, this seems to not be the case for Coleman, who said he would announce next year whether he will run for governor.

Minnesota’s current governor unofficially has his sights set on a presidential run, but a recent poll from St. Cloud State University Survey Center indicates that he might have trouble winning his own state. According to the poll, 40 percent of people said they would vote for Pawlenty for president, while 49 percent said they would vote for President Barack Obama. 

But there is an upshot for Pawlenty: 49 percent of those polled said the governor is doing a either a "pretty good" or "excellent job."