Just an update... I assume we'll start to see more candidates declare soon enough. Kennedy will possibly be challenged by Gil Gutknecht or Rod Grams, as the article says, but Mary Kiffmeyer and Brian Sullivan will not challenge him.
I assume we'll know more on the Democrat side soon.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/10877046.htm?1cWATERTOWN — In a city park in his hometown, U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy today declared he is officially in the race for U.S. Senate in 2006.
"I'm here to announce my candidacy for the United States Senate…I know the great things that can happen if we trust the people and make sure government helps rather than hinders them as they pursue their dreams,'' Kennedy said, making it official one of the worst-kept secrets in Minnesota politics.
Voicing many of the same messages he has in his three congressional races, Kennedy said, "I'm the kind of guy who was taught that you only say something if you mean it.''
With references to his family, his faith and the American dream, Kennedy became the first Republican to enter the wide-open race to represent the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, the first-term Democrat who announced Wednesday he would not seek re-election.
While Kennedy was the first candidate to make his entry official, U.S. Rep. Gil Gutknecht and former U.S. Rod Grams have also said they are considering a bid for the Republican endorsement in the Senate race.
Two prominent Republicans, Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer and businessman Brian Sullivan, have told Kennedy they would not compete with him for the party's endorsement, a Kennedy staff member said Friday.
Several high-profile Democrats have also said they may run including Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar and attorney Mike Ceresi.
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party chairman Mike Erlandson quickly issued a statement this morning criticizing Kennedy.
"In past campaigns Kennedy has show that he will do whatever it takes to win and will act however the White House directs him, voting with the president over 97 percent of the time,'' Erlandson said. "Minnesotans want independence and integrity in their elected leaders, not just someone who blindly follows his political bosses.''
Kennedy's entry into the Senate race leaves a void in the Sixth Congressional District that many Republicans are expected to fill. His DFL opponent in his last race, missing children's advocate Patty Wetterling, is considering another bid.
