In a not-terribly unexpected development, the Rochester Post-Bulletin has endorsed Norm Coleman. This brings the Franken daily-paper whitewash to nine papers — seven have endorsed Norm, two Dean Barkley.

(The count is now 12-0 if you count Forum Communications papers seperately, even though their pick goes chain-wide).

Is Franken that awful or are the state’s dailies not as liberal as all that? The truth is, regularly Republican chains like Forum Communications have expanded in the state, while the Strib, of course, is no longer reliably liberal. (Though, to be fair, Forum endorsed Amy Klobuchar in 2006.)

Hat tip to Politics in Minnesota for the latest endorsement sighting, and here’s the latest tote board:

Norm Coleman
♦ Star Tribune
♦ Pioneer Press
♦ Forum Communications (Duluth News-Tribune, Fargo-Moorhead Forum and and four others)
♦ Rochester Post-Bulletin
♦ Albert Lea Tribune
♦ Marshall Independent
♦ Mesabi Daily News

Dean Barkley
♦ St. Cloud Times
♦ Minnesota Daily

Al Franken — no dailies yet.

Still to weigh in: papers in Mankato and Winona, among others.