By Mike Mulcahy
Part of MPR.org's Democratic National Convention coverage.
|
|
|
Jay Leno stops by the Minnesota delegation in search of Jerry Janezich.
See more images.
|
|
|
|
JAY AND JERRY
The Minnesota delegation's biggest brush with fame came when Tonight Show host Jay Leno visited their area on Wednesday night. Leno came to talk with DFL-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Jerry Janezich. Leno had read a newspaper story on his show Monday night that referred to Janezich going under a table to personally thank AFL-CIO officials who had endorsed him. Leno made some off-color inferences about the story. Janezich explained that that the tables were pushed together to make a square, and he went in
to the center sso he could shake hands with everybody. He didn't explain himself very well to Leno, though, who asked Janezich whether he was familiar with the state's sodomy laws. Still, the TV appearance is a boost to Janezich's campaign. Unlike the other three candidates in the DFL primary race, he hasn't raised enough money to run TV ads.
FRITZ'S TOMBSTONE
Former Vice President Walter Mondale recieved a thunderous ovation from the entire convention when he read Minnesota's vote total during the roll call of the states. Mondale has spend a good deal of time with the delegation, telling them at breakfast Thursday that the two things he wants on his tombstone are that he was number three on Nixon's enemies list, and that he never lost Minnesota. Mondale also gave a brief speech to the Michigan delegation which is staying in the same hotel as the Minnesotans. About that delegation he said, "Michigan was always a funny state for me. They always treated me just great. They never voted for me once."
Mike Mulcahy's is MPR's senior political editor. You can reach him at mmulcahy@mpr.org.