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Governor: Steve Kelley


SNAPSHOT
Though the U.S. Senate race seemed to hold the most promise for a close race, it was the governor's race in Minnesota that grabbed the election-night headlines. Incumbent Tim Pawlenty held onto his office by just 22,000 votes over DFLer Mike Hatch. But Pawlenty saw his GOP colleagues swept out of office. In the Senate race, DFLer Amy Klobuchar easily beat Rep. Mark Kennedy.

The retirement of Sen. Mark Dayton sparked early interest in the campaign, with Rep. Mark Kennedy jumping in early. But a year later, Kennedy emerged as the lone Republican for the job, and Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar's strength was forcing several Democrats, including Patty Wetterling, out of the race.

The Senate race immediately attracted national attention, but as Klobuchar surged ahead of Kennedy in the polls, much national attention turned to the 6th District, where Patty Wetterling and state Sen. Michele Bachmann were the major contenders. Bachmann beat Wettlerling. It was Wetterling's second straight loss in the district. In the 5th, Rep. Keith Ellison became the first Muslim congressman. And in the 1st, incumbent Gil Gutknecht was defeated by DFLer Tim Walz.
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Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch is the DFL endorsed candidate for governor. Hatch won the endorsement on Saturday in Rochester, beating out state Senators Becky Lourey and Steve Kelley. The endorsement makes Hatch the clear frontrunner to take on Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty but he will have to win the DFL primary first. (06/11/2006)
Klobuchar easily won the backing of the vast majoirity of delegates to the state DFL convention underway this weekend in Rochester, winning on the first ballot with 78 percent of the vote. (06/09/2006)
Minnesota Democrats will endorse a candidate for governor at the party's state convention in Rochester on Saturday. Vying for the endorsement are Attorney General Mike Hatch, state Sen. Steve Kelley and state Sen. Becky Lourey. (06/09/2006)
The DFL candidates for governor will all be watching Tuesday's precinct caucuses to see what kind of support they enjoy from party stalwarts. Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson face no challenge within their parties. (Midday, 03/07/2006)
Midday's Meet the Candidates series continues with gubernatorial hopeful Steve Kelley. State Sen. Kelley, DFL-Hopkins, chairs the Senate Education Committee and is in his third term in the Minnesota State Senate. (Midday, 02/22/2006)
A candidate forum on business issues was the latest in which Attorney General Mike Hatch chose not to participate. Some Democrats are wondering why Hatch is keeping a low profile on the campaign trail. (02/08/2006)
DFL candidate Kelly Doran leads the money chase in the Minnesota governor's race, thanks mainly to his own loans. In the Senate race, Mark Kennedy is outpacing DFLer Amy Klobuchar. (01/31/2006)
Issues of particular concern to women dominated the latest DFL gubernatorial forum, sponsored by the DFL Feminist Caucus on Sunday. (01/16/2006)
The 2006 race for Minnesota governor became more visible Friday, when four candidates shared a stage for the first time. Democrats Kelly Doran, Steve Kelley and Becky Lourey, and Independence Party member Peter Hutchinson spoke at a business forum on early childhood education. The four criticized Gov. Pawlenty's leadership in this area. (11/18/2005)
Attorney General Mike Hatch is officially entering the governor's race. Hatch could be a formidable candidate, having won statewide office twice. But he also ran unsuccessfully for governor twice in the 1990s, and there's no guarantee he will get the DFL endorsement in '06. Several DFLers are already running for governor, and they say Hatch joining the race doesn't discourage them at all. (10/23/2005)
Steve Kelley, a suburban Democrat who has become one of his party's leading voices on technology and education issues, embarked on a campaign for governor Wednesday. (06/01/2005)