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Reflective Wetterling not ready to look forward
November 19, 2004

Patty Wetterling's broad name recognition and deep respect in the community made Mark Kennedy's bid for a third term a tougher fight than many political observers expected he would face. (MPR file photo)

St. Paul, Minn. — (AP) Patty Wetterling, the widely known child safety advocate who suffered defeat in her first political campaign, won't rule out another run for Congress or another office but she's not ready to chart her future yet either.

The Democrat from St. Joseph gave a series of interviews Thursday and Friday, her first since losing by 30,000 votes to Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy in the 6th Congressional District race.

"I haven't ruled anything out. Everyday it seems like more possibilities open up. I'm trying to be really open about it," she told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "A lot of people have asked me to run again. They don't care what for. They just want me to run again."

Kennedy is viewed as a potential challenger to U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton in 2006, which would open up the congressional seat.

Wetterling's broad name recognition and deep respect in the community made Kennedy's bid for a third term a tougher fight than many political observers expected he would face. She gained prominence in the years following the 1989 abduction of her son, Jacob, and her ensuing efforts to prevent similar tragedies.

But campaigning for office was a whole new ball game.

She spent the summer and fall settling in to the fast-paced rhythm of politics, sometimes admitting she lacked the policy knowledge of today's traditionally polished candidates. She spent the last two weeks writing thank you notes to supporters, catching up with family and falling back into a normal sleep routine.

"It's kind of like going from zero to 150 miles an hour in a short time and then you hit a wall and it's over," she said. "The suddenness of `the over' is hard to adjust to."

Wetterling, 55, doesn't regret running and said she doesn't expect the foray into politics - and the shedding of her party neutrality - to hurt her child-advocacy efforts.

"I did everything I set out to do. I had three goals: I said, `I will not lie, I will not promise more than I can deliver and I will not sacrifice my integrity to win this race,"' Wetterling said. "I stuck to all three of those and I'm proud of that."

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