DFL’s Bell throws hat in Senate ring

07/23/2005

Patricia Lopez, Star Tribune
July 23, 2005

Ford W. Bell, president of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and a veterinarian, said Friday that he will seek the DFL endorsement in Minnesota’s upcoming U.S. Senate race.

The wealthy scion of a family that includes the founders of both General Mills and the Red Owl grocery chain, Bell, 56, made his announcement on the steps of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, “where four generations of my family have worshipped, where my great-grandfather, a Civil War veteran who fought at Gettysburg, is commemorated.”

With a background in philanthropy and public service, Bell said his experience makes him uniquely suited in a crowded DFL field to keep the party’s hold on the seat of outgoing Sen. Mark Dayton.

“I believe our party stands for fairness, for generosity of spirit and for a commitment to help people improve their lives,” Bell said. “We are the party of opportunity—not limited opportunity for a privileged few, but opportunity for everyone.”

Although he has never held elective office, Bell said he has long been active in DFL politics and that his father’s friendship with Minnesota political icon Hubert H. Humphrey fueled his interest in public service.

Bell said he favors universal single-payer health care, preservation of Social Security, energy independence, “a new pay scale for teachers” and stronger environmental commitments.

He also opposes the war in Iraq and said he will “be a strong voice for peace and for bringing an end to a war that has taken the lives of almost 1,800 young Americans.”

The grandson of General Mills founder James Ford Bell and the son of Ford Bell, founder of the Red Owl grocery store chain, he is the former chairman of the James Ford Bell Foundation and of the One Percent Club, which asks people of means to donate 1 percent of their assets or 5 percent of their income—whichever is greater—to charity.

Bell will face Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar, child safety crusader Patty Wetterling and real estate developer Kelly Doran for the DFL endorsement. Of the four, Bell has the smallest campaign chest so far—$100,000 raised in the first half of the year, compared with Klobuchar’s $1.24 million, Wetterling’s $750,000 and Doran’s $310,000, of which $250,000 is his own money.

Although Bell has previously listed his assets at between $1 million and $5 million, he said he will not self-finance and will rely on fundraising in what experts already say could be the most expensive election contest in Minnesota history.

Bell has not yet said whether he would abide by the DFL Party endorsement. Whoever survives the September 2006 primary election probably will face U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, who has already amassed $1.3 million and the endorsement of top Republicans in Minnesota and the White House. Vice President Dick Cheney was in the Twin Cities on Friday at a fundraiser for Kennedy.

Kennedy does have one challenger so far: Harold Shudlick, a GOP activist and retired Army chaplain from Apple Valley. Jack Uldrich is the Independence Party candidate.