Minnesota / Lesch weighs bid for Coleman’s Senate seat

02/23/2007

BY TIM NELSON
Pioneer Press


State Rep. John Lesch, a DFLer from St. Paul, says he is contemplating a bid for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Norm Coleman, who is up for re-election next year.

"I'm considering it seriously," Lesch said Thursday. "We're a long way from November '08, but I have a group of people that have talked to me about it. … I won't rule it out."

The 34-year-old representative is an assistant St. Paul city attorney first elected to the Legislature in 2002, succeeding longtime lawmaker Tom Osthoff.

He represents the city's North End and a significant portion of the East Side, a district running from Dale Street on the west to Arcade Street on the east.

Lesch said much of the legislation he is working on at the state Capitol has federal implications, and he would like to further those efforts in Washington.

"Things like trade practices, consumer protection, particularly pension issues, and public safety," he said. "We don't have the 'Clinton cops' anymore, for instance."

Lesch is the latest in a growing line of would-be Democratic successors to Coleman, a former St. Paul mayor. (Lesch served as an aide to current Mayor Chris Coleman during his tenure on the City Council when Norm Coleman was mayor.)

Leading Senate contenders include comedian Al Franken and Minneapolis attorney Mike Ciresi. Several other legislators, including Rep. Joe Atkins, of Inver Grove Heights, also are considering a bid.

Lesch also is an entrepreneur and has floated a proposal among lawmakers to open a politically themed restaurant on University Avenue, near the Capitol.

He made headlines last year when he took an unannounced and self-financed trip to Iraq, which drew the ire of American officials in Baghdad.

He said Thursday he wouldn't make the war in Iraq a campaign issue.

"I think most people have that tied up pretty well," he said. "I don't think I have much to add on that."