Last week, when I saw the Al Franken bus outside Coffman, I didn’t quite know whether Franken himself was on campus.

But when I saw it this morning, I knew. Franken was joined by Mayors Chris Coleman of St. Paul and R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis on Northrop Mall, shaking hands, greeting voters, and, again, talking to me. “Confidence level is cautiously optimistic ," Franken told me between cell phone photos with supporters.  "We’re picking up votes as we speak” Rybak also opined about the early days of the campaign, learning "Obama 101" with students in Coffman. Ole Hovde, the University student running for State House, was across the street from the Harvard Street polling station, holding signs and urging students to vote for him “I’m having fun," he told me. "That’s the biggest thing I can say.”