| Mark Kennedy announced
his intention to run for the Senate, just two days after incumbent Mark Dayton
announced he would not run for re-election. No one was surprised. Speculation
that Mark Kennedy would run for the U.S. Senate was been a mainstay of Minnesota
politics since late 2003.  But
first, Kennedy had to survive a challenge from Democrat Patty Wetterling to hold
on to his 6th District seat in Congress. Although it was expected to be a close
race -- Kennedy won by just 5 percent of the vote -- the Republican's strong showing
may have caught notice of those who did not think Kennedy had sufficient strength
to wage a statewide campaign. The 6th is a swing district and Wetterling was considered
an extremely formidable candidate.
-- By Minnesota Public Radio
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