April 28, 2001

Here's a little blurb from

Here's a little blurb from Paul Gigot:

Minnesota, the White House lobbied to clear the GOP field for St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman to challenge Sen. Paul Wellstone, who broke his term-limit pledge to run for a third term. GOP polling has them running even.

As a former Minnesota resident (but life-long Wisconsinite), here's a bit of insight. Coleman would be governor right now if Jesse Ventura wouldn't have run. He's a fine example of Republican big-city mayors who actually solved problems. I put him in the ranks of Rudy Guiliani of NYC and Richard Riordan of Los Angeles.

Sen. Wellstone's biggest asset is that he appears to be a politician detached from typical political interests. He's an old-school, big spending liberal and not afraid to show it. Whether they support his ideology or not, Minnesotans like his integrity and independence. By breaking his term limit promise his integrity and honesty is questioned. Coleman has the political skills, he just needs the money.

"Bush Jumps Into Senate 2002 Battle" [via Kevin]