DFL itches to take out Coleman next

11/12/2006

After big Klobuchar win, Franken, Rybak and McCollum could be contenders for Senate

BY ARON KAHN
Pioneer Press

With the wind at their backs, Minnesota Democrats are quickly making Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman their next target.

Following Amy Klobuchar’s overwhelming Senate victory last week, Democrats are expected to line up soon in hopes of winning support for a 2008 run at Coleman, a stout backer of President Bush.

“I think the list of Democratic hopefuls for the 2008 U.S. Senate race has just grown exponentially,’’ said University of Minnesota political science professor Larry Jacobs. “The reality of Klobuchar’s smashing victory is so enticing. It’s like honey for bees.’’

Before Tuesday’s election, the only clear indication of a Coleman challenge was the return of Minnesota native Al Franken. The talk-show host moved back to the state last year to work the Democratic vineyards and test support for a run, which he sounds likely to make.

But Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, a feisty vote-getter, said in an interview that Minnesota needs more change on Capitol Hill and he’s “not closing any doors” on a Senate contest. His election would come 60 years after another Minneapolis mayor made the jump. His name was Hubert Humphrey.

Franken, who’s planning a fourth trip to Iraq to meet with American troops, appears ready to take on Coleman and his backing of Bush on the war.

“I’m very grateful for the energy here, for a change in Congress, to stop being a rubber stamp,” Franken said in an interview, adding that he’ll make a decision on entering the race shortly after the holidays.

Political black belts say Franken and Rybak would have company; that Klobuchar’s cakewalk over Republican Mark Kennedy will have Democrats quickly starting to raise money toward a move to the nation’s Capitol.

Their numbers likely will include completely fresh faces, given the Tim Walz phenomenon. Walz, a Mankato teacher and military veteran, defeated incumbent 1st District U.S. Rep. Gil Gutknecht as part of the Democratic tsunami.

“Walz’s victory was phenomenal in a conservative area, and against a six-term incumbent who usually would win by 20 points,’’ Jacobs said. “The idea of party elders picking the nominee is going by the wayside. Republicans are now asking if Mark Kennedy was the best candidate to run this year.’’

Mirror images of Walz will begin making themselves visible soon, predicted Vance Opperman, a Democratic activist and part-owner of the Minnesota Wild.

“One of the serious Senate candidates will be someone we haven’t thought of today, perhaps from outstate,’’ Opperman said.

But following the landslide win of Minnesota’s first female elected senator, Coleman is known to be wary of St. Paulite Betty McCollum, who won a fourth U.S. House term from the 4th District.

Her chief of staff, Bill Harper, said McCollum isn’t interested because she wants to rise within the House’s new Democratic majority. But political pros aren’t buying refusals at the moment.

“A denial of interest at this point ought to be considered pro forma,’’ said Jacobs, who runs the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the U’s Humphrey Institute.

Meanwhile, Minneapolis lawyer Michael Ciresi, a former Senate candidate who spearheaded Minnesota’s $6 billion court victory over tobacco companies in 1998, is on several short lists.

“Ciresi was smart to pass on this cycle, since it would have been hard for him to get past Klobuchar,’’ said Carleton College political science professor Steven Schier. “He has the financial resources, candidate experience and ambition, so I would put him” in the top tier of potential candidates.

Informed sources said Ciresi, who grew up in St. Paul, is interested in the race, but in an interview he said “it’s too early to make that decision.’’

Although they’ve not indicated a desire to run, others mentioned as potential candidates include Mike Hatch, who lost the governor’s race by a small margin; Judi Dutcher, Hatch’s running mate; and state Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, who lost a re-election bid in his hometown of Willmar.

Dutcher and Johnson intrigue some Democrats because they’re well-liked within the party, are former Republicans and are charismatic. Dutcher would have time to overcome her gaffe on E-85, in which she said she wasn’t aware of the ethanol product, an important element of the outstate economy.

No matter who ends up as the nominee, the ability to raise millions of dollars is crucial for a Senate campaign. While final numbers aren’t in, Klobuchar and Kennedy spent a combined $18 million through October, much of it to buy time for television spots.

Few candidates could raise more than Coleman, who spent more than $8 million on his 2002 campaign and is a Republican fundraiser around the nation. A Coleman political action committee, for example, made $200,000 worth of contributions to candidates in the previous election cycle, more than any senator.

Though Coleman is mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate in 2008 — along with Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty — he said he definitely will run for a second term.

The incumbent will be harder to beat than was Kennedy, who sought a seat being vacated by Democrat Mark Dayton.

Coleman said in an interview that he’s looking for support from some Democratic voters “because I have a history of working in a bipartisan way.”

While backing Bush on tax cuts, judicial nominees and the Iraq war, Coleman said he opposed Bush on disaster assistance, education funding and the minimum wage.

Indeed, Coleman said, the shift to a Democratic majority in the Senate might help his re-election. “I work with the other side, and they need me to get to 60,’’ he said, referring to the votes required for overcoming a filibuster.

If the Democratic nominee is Rybak, the race would have a built-in rivalry, certain to produce some levity and friendly back-and-forth in local taverns and in the mouths of TV anchors across the state: