Minnesota

Source: U.S. Bureau of Census, Washington, D.C., 2000 Census

Politics

Governor: Jesse Ventura (Independence) re-election 2002

Senate: Paul Wellstone (D) re-election 2002 ; Mark Dayton (D) re-election 2006

House: U.S. House: 5 D, 3 R

State Senate: State Senate: 39 D, 27 R, 1 Independence

State House: State House: 63 D, 71 R

Reapportionment: Reapportionment/2000 Census: No change from 1990

Independence Party Gov. Jesse Ventura announced in June that he wouldn't seek re-election, saying his heart was no longer in the job and that he wanted to protect his family from the media. After reaching an approval rating of 73 percent in 1999, Ventura's rating had dropped to 47 percent this summer. Shortly after he stepped aside, he helped persuade former congressman Tim Penny to run for the job as an IP candidate.

Even before he officially entered the race, a poll showed the former Democrat running neck-and-neck with the top Republican and Democrat candidates-House Majority Leader Tim Pawlenty and Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe, respectively. Penny is positioning himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate.

Another candidate who could make a difference in the governor's race is the other major party candidate: Ken Pentel of the Green Party. The well-known activist is the party's best shot at securing the 5 percent of votes needed in a statewide office to keep its major-party status and public funding.

Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone's quest for a third term has him in tight battle with former St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman, a former Democrat who is now a Republican and not shy about being the handpicked choice of President Bush. All polls have the two in a dead heat. By the end of June, Wellstone and Cole-man had combined to raise more than $13 million and outside groups and political parties were pouring money into the race as well.

Minnesota's two other major parties-the Green and the Independence-have endorsed writer Ed McGaa and banker Jim Moore, respectively. McGaa has attracted a few percentage points in early polls, which haven't included questions about Moore. Neither has held elective office. All four endorsed candidates have primary challenges, al-though Wellstone and Coleman shouldn't have any trouble winning theirs. The prospects of McGaa and Moore are less clear. Every incumbent in Minnesota is seeking re-election, but most are running in different-shaped districts this time around due to a map drawn by the courts to better reflect population changes over the last decade.

The new boundaries put Republican 2nd District congressman Mark Kennedy's home about a mile into the 6th District, which is currently represented by Democrat Bill Luther.

Kennedy decided to run in the 6th, prompting Luther to run in the 2nd against two-time opponent John Kline, a Republican. Kennedy will face lawyer Janet Robert.

In the 1st District, Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht of Rochester will face a challenge from Democrat-Farm-Labor candidate Steve Andreasen of Rochester, a former National Security Council official.

And after 10 years in the state Senate, Republican Dan Stevens plans to challenge 7th District Rep. Collin Peterson, a Democrat. All 201 legislators face re-election again in 2002. Democrats control the Senate and the GOP narrowly controls the House. Despite fielding a number of candidates in 2000, Minnesota's Independence Party had only one member in the Legislature last session-Sen. Bob Lessard of International Falls. The former Democrat joined the party after being re-elected as an unaffiliated independent in 2000. He's not seeking re-election.

Overall, 33 sitting House members are either retiring or seeking higher office, as are 13 state senators. Only seven candidates face no opposition for their seats.

Republicans and Democrats are running for most of the other seats, and the state's two other major parties-Independence and Green-also are putting up dozens of candidates each.

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