Sunday, September 24, 2023
SNAPSHOT
Although the U.S. Senate race was expected to be competitive, in the end, Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar delivered a crushing defeat to 6th District Rep. Mark Kennedy, winning all but 9 counties in the state.
If Minnesotans became campaign weary in the 2006 election cycle, this is the race that can be blamed. When Mark Dayton announced in January 2005 that he would not seek re-election, it ignited a frantic start to the campaign season as candidates -- many of whom had just finished campaigns for office -- jockeyed for position not only to be his successor, but to be the the successor to the would-be successor.
Sixth District Rep. Mark Kennedy was long predicted to be a candidate, and his was the first announcement. He then campaigned in the 1st District, where Rep. Gil Gutknecht was said to be considering a challenge for the seat. Gutknecht eventually decided to seek re-election.
Similarly, DFLer Amy Klobuchar was early out of the race, and discouraged Patty Wetterling from continuing an early Senate bid, largely on the strength of her superior fundraising skills.
Although the U.S. Senate race was expected to be competitive, in the end, Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar delivered a crushing defeat to 6th District Rep. Mark Kennedy, winning all but 9 counties in the state.
If Minnesotans became campaign weary in the 2006 election cycle, this is the race that can be blamed. When Mark Dayton announced in January 2005 that he would not seek re-election, it ignited a frantic start to the campaign season as candidates -- many of whom had just finished campaigns for office -- jockeyed for position not only to be his successor, but to be the the successor to the would-be successor.
Sixth District Rep. Mark Kennedy was long predicted to be a candidate, and his was the first announcement. He then campaigned in the 1st District, where Rep. Gil Gutknecht was said to be considering a challenge for the seat. Gutknecht eventually decided to seek re-election.
Similarly, DFLer Amy Klobuchar was early out of the race, and discouraged Patty Wetterling from continuing an early Senate bid, largely on the strength of her superior fundraising skills.
Candidates








Ben Powers (Constitution)

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Debates
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KSTP/LWV Senate debate (10/29/06) |
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Senate debate from Moorhead (10/10/06) |
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Major party Senate candidate debate on TPT. (9/19/06) |
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Midday Senate debate at the state fair (9/1/06) |
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Senate debate at Farmfest (8/2/06) |
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Senate debate in Mounds View (3/3/06) |
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DFL Senate candidates on Midday (3/3/06) |
The Money Race
Candidate | Funds |
Mark Kennedy | $9,036,645 |
Amy Klobuchar | $7,922,161 |
Robert Fitzgerald | $7,130 |
Michael Cavlan | $6,140 |
Withdrawn Candidates













Stephen Williams (Independence)
Democrat Amy Klobuchar sailed to an easy victory in the U.S. Senate race Tuesday, capitalizing on voter anger over the Iraq war to become Minnesota's first elected female senator.
(11/08/2006)
With the final debate behind them,
the candidates for governor hit the road Monday with a series of
campaign stops to energize their voters and search out those who
are still undecided.
(11/06/2006)
Would rolling back income tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans cause small businesses to cut jobs?
(11/06/2006)
Amy Klobuchar continues to hold a major leads in all of the independent polls, but Mark Kennedy believes he's closing the gap in the final days of the election.
(11/05/2006)
Campaigns are about candidates, issues, fundraising and strategy. But in the end, it's the voters who will decide the election. Eight voters who have made up their minds about the U.S. Senate race explain who they are supporting and why.
(Midday, 11/03/2006)
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, one of the biggest names in the Democratic Party, spent Monday in Minnesota -- campaigning for Democrats and signing copies of his new book. The atmosphere at the book signing was worthy of a rock star.
(10/30/2006)
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kennedy
questioned the honesty of his Democratic opponent Amy Klobuchar
during a debate Sunday night, scaling up his rhetoric against her
with 10 days to go until the election.
(10/29/2006)
A collection of recent Minnesota Public Radio reports examining some of the issues in the races for the U.S. Senate and the governor's office.
(Midday, 10/26/2006)
Minnesota's major party U.S. Senate candidates each offer a different approach to dealing with the war in Iraq.
(10/26/2006)
As his fellow Republicans around the country
try to distance themselves from the increasingly unpopular war in
Iraq, Minnesota Senate candidate Mark Kennedy is trying to turn the
issue on its head.
(10/24/2006)
DFLer Amy Klobuchar explains what she would do if she gets to take Mark Dayton's place in the U.S. Senate -- part of Midday's Meet the Candidates series.
(Midday, 10/17/2006)
Independence Party candidate Robert Fitzgerald is barely old enough to be elected to the Senate, traverses the state in a vegetable-oil-powered bus, and runs with all the passion and energy of a frontrunner. Fitzgerald joins MPR's Midday as part of its "Meet the Candidates" series.
(Midday, 10/16/2006)
Candidates in Minnesota's closely watched U.S.
Senate race clashed Sunday on issues such as Iraq and tax policy,
with the Republican candidate saying he stood by his vote to
authorize the war in Iraq.
(10/15/2006)
The Republican and Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate have radically difference approaches to tackling problems facing the nation's economy. Both want the deficit reduced, but would chart different courses to get there.
(10/12/2006)
The three candidates running for Minnesota's open U.S. Senate seat held a lively debate Tuesday night on the Concordia College campus in Moorhead.
(10/10/2006)