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E-Debate among Senate Candidates October 22 - 28
What's an e-debate? It's an issues-focused email exchange among candidates that you are welcome to join. Subscribe to the e-debate at the MN-Politics subscription center. The candidate's responses to a series of debate questions will be delivered to your email box.

REVIEW THE CHATS
Minnesota's closely watched Senate race was the topic Oct. 22 when MPR's John Biewen hosted a chat that included guests Wyman (Wy) Spano and Sarah Janecek, editors of Politics In Minnesota. (Wy's a Democrat, Sarah's a Republican.) A complete transcript of the chat is available, along with these transcripts from previous chats:

Political advertising chat transcript, Oct 8: John Biewen, host; guests were Dave Sharp, Executive Director of the Citizens' Campaign advertising code, and Bill Hillsman, president of Northwoods Advertising, which created ads for Paul Wellstone that helped him upset Senator Rudy Boschwitz in 1990.

Third party candidate chat, Oct 15: John Biewen, host; guests were J. David Gillespie, professor of political science and third party expert; Dean Barkley, Reform Party candidate for U.S. Senate from Minnesota; and Adam Glickman, New Party organizer.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST
Boschwitz and Wellstone Advertising
Business as usual or over the top? Some are saying that the tone of ads on the Republican side have contributed to Wellstone's recent lead in the polls. The following ads are from this year's campaign. (See our Political Advertising page for more on the subject.)

QuickTime movies:
Boschwitz: "Proud" (1996)
Wellstone: "Values/Education" (1996)
Wellstone: "Struggle" (1996)
National Republican Senatorial Committee: "Sides with Liberals" (1996)

LISTEN IN
Catch-22: Audio Report on Wellstone Campaign Funding
Audio file - RealAudio 2.0; 14.4 (3:58)
Politicians are, at times, caught in a classic "catch-22". In order to legislate big money out of politics, they have to get elected. But in order to win, it's generally believed they have to accept the kind of contributions they seek to ban. MPR's Jon Gordon has the story of one candidate---Democrat Paul Wellstone, the incumbent U.S. Senator from Minnesota. (From the Newslink Money and Politics site which includes reports from public radio stations nationwide.)