September 18, 2002 - Republican Norm Coleman and DFL Senator Paul Wellstone are both claiming victory with the most recent polls showing Minnesota's US Senate race remains very tight. A Minnesota Public Radio-St. Paul Pioneer Press poll shows Wellstone with 47 percent support, Coleman with 44 percent. Because that falls within the three percentage point margin of error, the race is a statistical tie. Wellstone backers say they're pleased months of what they call negative attacks have not eroded the incumbent's support. Coleman's camp claims the Republican is in good shape because he's been able to keep up with Wellstone even though Wellstone has outspent him.
September 16, 2002 - A new television ad promoting Republican Norm Coleman's US Senate campaign is drawing criticism from the re-election campaign of DFL Senator Paul Wellstone. The ad, put together by the Republican Party of Minnesota, attacks Wellstone for votes against military spending, tax cuts and welfare reform. There's agreement across the board, the latest ad moves Minnesota's highly contested Senate race in a new, gloves off, direction. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...
August 30, 2002 - According to the latest Federal Elections Commission reports, DFL Senator Paul Wellstone has raised more than eight and a half million dollars so far for his reelection campaign. Republican challenger Norm Coleman has taken in more than six-and-a-half million dollars.
August 30, 2002 - MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reports on Minnesota U.S. Senate debate held at the Minnesota State Fair. Segment includes clips from the four candidates as they debated topics including healthcare, taxes, and the war with Iraq, amongst others.
August 29, 2002 - Republican Norm Coleman's US Senate campaign is accusing incumbent Democrat Senator Paul Wellstone of using scare tactics in a new television ad about social security. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik has this report as part of our continuing campaign ad watch series...
August 26, 2002 - Just as much a part of the State Fair as midway rides, 4-H displays and food of all kinds, are politicians working potential voters. MPR’s Mark Zdechlik checks in on what the four major party endorsed candidates for U.S. Senate are talking about at the Fair.
August 20, 2002 - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Norm Coleman today spoke out on the corporate ethics scandal calling, among other things, for more government powers to seize ill-gotten gains from corrupt business people. Incumbent DFL Senator Paul Wellstone says he's glad Coleman is talking about corporate accountability... but Wellstone said he thinks Minnesotans will trust him to stand up to stand up to corporate wrongdoers. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...
July 24, 2002 - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Norm Coleman plans to spend the next two days traveling throughout Minnesota criticizing incumbent DFL Senator Paul Wellstone's record on national defense. Coleman says had Congress gone along with Wellstone's past anti-defense spending positions, more US soldiers would have been killed in Afghanistan. The Wellstone campaign is accusing Coleman of politicizing the tragedy of last fall's terrorist attacks and is calling Coleman's remarks sad and innappropriate. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...
July 15, 2002 - Minnesota's Democratic and Republican U.S. Senate candidates raised several million dollars during the second quarter of the year. Incumbent DFL-er Paul Wellstone took in nearly two million dollars, Republican challenger Norm Coleman more than one point seven million. Both campaigns say they're pleased with the pace of their fund raising. Coleman says he needs all the money he can get to keep up with Wellstone. Wellstone says his fund raising is more appropriate than Coleman's because he says most of his money is coming from relatively small contributions.
June 28, 2002 - An all out advertising war has broken out in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race over the estate tax issue. Republican Norm Coleman's campaign is asking a Washington D.C. area special interest group to stop running ads attacking incumbent DFL Senator Paul Wellstone on the estate tax issue. The Coleman campaign is also ONCE AGAIN extending a proposal that both campaigns fight off outside advertising. But Wellstone's campaign says it will NOT ask outside groups to stay out of the Senate contest and will NOT ask the Minnesota DFL Party to pull an ad the Democrats say sets Wellstone's estate tax record straight.