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U.S. Senate


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.
Polinaut
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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)