Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., today launched his reelection campaign with a rally and speech at his St. Paul headquarters.

Here are his prepared remarks. (For a speech delivered Tuesday by Democratic candidate Al Franken, see this McMemo post.)

Coleman’s text:

My face and my name are familiar. But there are some things most people don’t know. I have lived in the same house on a quiet St. Paul street for 20 years. We send Sarah to college in the fall; at the same time Jake heads to the U of M law school.

Like families on every street we’ve had to empty out part of our retirement plans to pay for our kids’ education and support elderly parents.

And a few months ago we laid my dad to rest in Arlington Cemetery. He was a man of boundless enthusiasm and love. This is the first big step of my life I’ve taken without him by my side.

But his spirit encourages every beat of my heart today and I honor him by trying to serve with every ounce of energy God gives me.

I am very conscious of the fact that I stand between two generations: trying to honor the values and sacrifice of my Dad’s generation and working to create even greater opportunities for the world my kids will grow old in.

I respect and believe in public service as a high calling. As my favorite legendary mayor Joe Soucheray says, you don’t do it to be important; you do it to be useful. Public service is not about celebrity; it’s about problem-solving. And politics only has value if it leads to progress. We’ve made progress in the last six years in a challenging world. And we can do even more.

These past few years we’ve accomplished a lot for our state and our country. But America is a race without a finish line, and Minnesota is a leading participant in that race. After 150 years, we’re just getting started.

Proud of our past and eager to reach for our common future, I am humbled and excited to announce: today I am a candidate for another term as your senator.

I want to say right up front that I run for this office as a proud Republican because this party expresses and achieves the highest ideals of America.

Republicans believe in freedom first, and government programs after.

We believe in a strong national defense and an unshakeable relationship with our ally Israel. We should never go to the UN for a permission slip to pursue our national interest.

Republicans are for small businesses (especially those who pay their workers’ comp insurance) and we’re for the entrepreneur, not big media, big business, trial lawyers or any other special interest.

We are for quality jobs for working men and women.

We are for the family farm.

We are for the free exercise of faith.

We are for strengthening the family,

We are for limited, effective government.

And we are for protecting all life, from the moment of conception to natural death.

And we welcome to this campaign all those who decide, like I did, that they want to pursue their American ideals above and beyond partisan politics.

Now we all know these are challenging times. Our economy has slowed. Our politics are divided. And our families are stressed. My wife and kids and I enjoy our lives, but we open the morning paper with the same anxiety all of you do. What’s going to happen today?

But life is more than emotion and history is more than circumstance. The ancient Hebrew prophets said without a vision the people perish. It is our common belief in a better future that helps us survive and prevail.

It is the task of leadership to define and nurture that vision.

That is almost reason enough for me to run for re-election: to be a voice of optimism in a cynical time.

If we as Minnesotans don’t believe we can succeed, then we are probably right. But I’m here to say I believe in Minnesota’s and America’s bright future.

Optimism is not a republican virtue, or democrat virtue; it’s an American virtue. Optimism is more than a feeling, it’s an approach.

It’s a way of seeing obstacles as opportunities; it’s an ability to turn challenges into chances for greatness. America’s greatness and Minnesota’s also - comes from our ability to summon optimism and hope when the facts seem to point to despair and defeat.

Our economy is hurting; folks are losing their homes and worried about the cost of their health care.

We have reached such a time when we really, really need to draw about our resilient spirit of confidence and our unified capability for action, and move our nation forward.

My heroes are hopeful people:

David Ben Gurion who said, “Anyone who doesn’t believe in miracles is not a realist.”

Ronald Reagan, who talked about the song the settlers sang as they pushed west, “It is the American sound… hopeful, big-hearted, idealistic, daring, decent, and fair.”

And Helen Keller, who said: “Security in this life is an illusion… life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing at all.”

I love my country and I love Minnesota… Because we are perfect? No. Because unlike other places on this globe, we always find the motivation to rise above circumstances and end up better than where we began.

The events of 2007 say more about MN than any politician ever could about what kind of place we are: we had floods, fires, droughts and the bridge collapse, and yet our people and their government stepped forward and met those extreme challenges one by one. Minnesotans refused to quit or to whine or become victims. We chose to be neighbors instead.

We didn’t just survive, we prevailed; we’re not just moving on, we’re moving forward. We didn’t just find a way out, we found our way together.

We are part of a proud history. In his message to the Congress of 1862, Lincoln called America “the last best hope of earth.”

He said that at a time when millions remained in slavery, the Civil War was claiming thousands of lives each month and terrible economic hardships were weighing on the people.

And yet he was full of the kind of optimism that sustains and leads.

In a small, local way, I know something about this from personal experience. I became mayor of Saint Paul, in a dark time. Jobs were leaving, crime was growing and taxes were rising. By the time I completed eight years of no tax increases, of eight years of making our capital city more livable and affordable for middle class families: thousands of new jobs were added; billions of dollars were invested in reconnecting with our Mississippi River and we brought the National Hockey League back to Minnesota-where it always belonged.

As a mayor I simply brought people together to work very hard to get things done for our city. We didn’t point fingers, we joined hands. We softened our voices and we lifted our sights. That is my experience, my pattern and my approach to governing during 32 years of public service in Minnesota.

With Norm Coleman, bringing people together to get things done is what you see and what you get.

I am running on my record, because unlike my likely opponent, I have one. What a concept: before you serve in the U.S. Senate, maybe you should have done something to show you can actually do the job.

In my 17 years with the Minnesota attorney general’s office, I traveled to every corner of this great state prosecuting criminals

As mayor, I helped rebuild a capital city that we could all be proud of.

As your Senator I’ve tried to be “Minnesota’s mayor in Washington”: putting the emphasis on serving your needs, no project too big or too small. I’m willing to work with anybody who helps get the job done. I learned a long time ago that there are some problems that are too big for one party to solve.

I’ve visited all 87 counties at least twice, listening and learning what you need from your national government. My staff and I have been to every single City in this state over 800 - large, small and in between. We’re not looking for a medal: that’s our job.

I’ve been a champion for ending our dependence on foreign oil with renewable fuels, wind energy, clean coal technology, nuclear energy and deep water drilling.

And I kept my promises to Minnesotans. I said I’d oppose drilling in ANWR and I did.

I said I’d support or troops and our veterans and I did. I succeeded in improving health care for our veteran’s and securing funding for a national “made in Minnesota” model for reintegrating our brave troops coming home from Iraq.

And so much more:

I’ve worked to increase low income heating assistance for the poor and fought cuts in service to the most vulnerable Minnesotan’s.

I’ve championed rural development and worked to insure that the quality of health care doesn’t depend on your zip code.

As Chair of the Permanent Investigation subcommittee I uncovered $14 billion in wasteful Washington spending.

I blew the lid off the corruption of the Oil for Food Program that financed Saddam’s terror at our expense.

I’ve held millionaires and corporate America accountable by exposing sham tax shelters-and brought billions of tax dollars back into the U.S. treasury.

I worked with the our Minnesota delegation, the administration, the governor and local officials to fund the new I-35W bridge that is already rising from the river as symbol of recovery and progress.

We helped over 3,000 Minnesotan’s secure passports after the system collapsed-and that nightmare will never occur again, because we’ve brought a passport office to Minnesota next year.

I worked to protect our ports so we can have greater security that terrorists aren’t smuggling-in nuclear weapons.

I have worked with family farmers on disaster assistance, and helped break the log jam that was preventing passage of the critically needed farm bill for Minnesota.

I said I’d help bring seniors a drug benefit under Medicare and I did. I said I’d support good judges, who interpret the Constitution, not reinvent it, and I did and they’re making wise decisions that protect this country and foster freedom.

I could go on and on, and during this campaign, I will! … about all that has been accomplished, but there is so much more we need to do.

At a time like this, when national partisanship is so inflamed, we need uniters not dividers.

And when its all said and done, after all the bills, all the hearings and the votes, I would say what matters most to me are the people I’ve been able to help.

I met Pete Panos here, over in Iraq, when he was a member of the famous Red Bulls, the greatest National Guard unit in America.

Now he advises me on how we provide support for all veterans. After listening to Pete and many other Minnesota veterans, I personally spoke to Secretary Gates and helped guarantee full education benefits for all of our troops who served in Iraq.

I pushed for GI bill education benefits for spouses who had to quit school to care for their families when their spouses were on 15 month tours of duty. And we just recently, for the first time in over 30 years raised the mileage reimbursement for vets traveling to VA facilities for health care. Pete, we thank you for your service.

Joe and Linda Goleski here had in their hearts the hope of adopting a baby from Guatemala. They were caught in a bureaucratic nightmare.

As Linda put it, “Until you’ve been alone in a foreign country, with a new baby, and no one to be your advocate, you have no idea how scary the experience can be.”

We became their advocate, leaned hard on the Guatemalan government and they brought baby, Sophia, home to be a Minnesotan.

And Sergeant Tom Shilling is with us here today, too.

Tom went through the military process to get a two week leave from Iraq to be at his daughter’s wedding.

It was all approved — until his commanding officer tore it up. We were on the phone in 5 minute intervals for hours to get someone on the line with the authority to fix it.

It was small joy to us and huge one to him when he arrived with 24 hours to spare and walked his daughter down the aisle. Thanks for your service, Tom and for the chance to serve you.

Friends, it’s not labels or speeches that matter: it’s people. Protecting their freedom and creating policies that serve them.

I’m fighting for the people’s interests, not the special interests.

The soldiers, the elderly, the college kids, the middle class and the working families–these are the people who deserve a senator who fights for them-and has shown he can produce results.

I have, I am, and with your help in November, I will for years to come.

I was born a long way from here. But 32 years ago I made a choice that gave me the incredible opportunity to lead a Minnesota life.

My heart brought me to this place to marry the woman who stands with me in this adventure. Our love brought me the two beautiful children who stand with us today as young adults.

Over those three decades I’ve experienced the joys of fishing on crystal clear Minnesota lakes, celebrating two baseball world championships-and dropping the puck at the first game of the Minnesota Wild.

I’ve also faced difficulties and heartbreaks here. Laurie and I buried our first son Adam and our youngest daughter Grace in the good earth of Minnesota.

But our grief gave us a greater love for the sanctity of all human life.

Through it all, the spirit of family and faith that is so strong in this state has sustained me.

I’ve never lost the sense of hope and optimism that this is the land of 10,000 dreams and daily miracles in the lives of regular people.

Minnesota is a place that respects hard work, common sense and public service. That’s the Minnesota I want to continue to work for in the uncertain future that we face.

For limited, effective government that lives within its means.

For success in Iraq and then an orderly withdrawal.

For affordable health care for all Minnesotan’s, without turning it over to the government folks who did Katrina relief and the welfare programs that ruined so many.

For tax cuts, less regulation and free and fair trade, not a clumsy, inflexible and intrusive government and protectionism.

For a judiciary that respects the Constitution and traditional values, and not one that tries to govern through social experimentation from the bench.

I see beyond today’s cloudy horizon to a bright American future.

I’m not willing to cede the 21st Century to the Chinese or anyone else. That’s because I will work hard to make sure we have the smartest kids, the best trained workers and a dynamic economy based on our unlimited entrepreneurial spirit.

I see a bold new American technology leading the way to the next stage of global economic growth.

I especially see new green technology creating robust new 21st century job opportunities as we fulfill our commitments to clean the air, the water and the land we hold so dear in the Land of 10,000 lakes.

I see citizen engagement, market principles and innovative government solving our problems in health care, housing, energy and education.

I see the march of freedom continuing over the rocky road of terrorism and totalitarianism to a better future for all.

And I see Minnesota and Minnesotans leading the way in all of these areas.

Lincoln closed that famous message to Congress I quoted earlier with these words, talking about the unique American pathway through trouble: “The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just — a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless.”

That’s the path of public service for me: plain - not Hollywood; peaceful - not divisive; generous - not mean spirited; and just - not political.

Isn’t that what we all want? Republicans, Democrats and Independents?

As Minnesotans, there is so much more that unites us than divides us. This campaign isn’t about me…it’s about you — your families, your dreams, your future. That’s why I asked to be your senator six years ago. And that’s why I ask you today to let me continue the job.

Together, we can make a great state even greater and a proud country even prouder.

Let me repeat something I said when I first sought this office six years ago. In the Bible it says that those who have been faithful in little things will be entrusted with greater things.

I have learned a lot in all my experiences in public service - from both my successes and my mistakes.

I would say with honest humility, I think what I do best is what Minnesota needs most: an experienced, optimistic problem-solver who can do more than talk about change: I can actually bring people together to get things done for Minnesota.

As Americans, we are the last best hope of earth: let’s rise above lesser things and make our parents proud and our children grateful.

May God continue bless America and the State of Minnesota as we work to be worthy of that blessing.

And may God bless you all.

Al Franken, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, held a rally in the State Captiol Rotunda this morning and delivered what his campaign calls a “major speech defining the issues of this campaign.”

Here is the full text of Franken’s prepared remarks. (Tomorrow, Republican Sen. Norm Coleman kicks off his reelection campaign.)

First of all, I’d like to thank all of you who are standing here with me in this beautiful room for standing with me in this important fight.

And if any of you haven’t met Franni yet, please meet my secret weapon. And if this secret’s out, meet the next one, my daughter Thomasin.

Something is happening all over this state. You saw it on Caucus Night, when over 215,000 DFLers showed up to say they’re ready for a new direction, even if it means they have to hang out in a hot, crowded room for a few hours.

And you’re seeing it here today.

I am so proud to have the endorsement of 65 state legislators, representing districts all over the state, from here in the Twin Cities, to the suburbs, to Greater Minnesota. And, as a member of four labor unions myself, I’m incredibly proud to be endorsed by 16 labor unions, representing over 250,000 members and retirees, as well as their families.

These men and women, and the working families they represent, are partners in building a new progressive majority.

And we know what we want.

We want universal health care.

We want an economy that works for everyone, not just the special interests.

We want to address global warming and create “green” jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

We want a world-class education for all our kids so that they can compete in the 21st century economy.

And we want to restore our standing in the world, starting with getting out of Iraq and bringing our troops home.

And when George W. Bush leaves office on January 20, 2009, we want his enablers to go with him ­ starting with Norm Coleman.

You know, throughout this campaign we’re going to be talking about Norm Coleman’s habit of saying one thing and doing another.

But when it comes to his record of being a rubber-stamp for President Bush, we can’t say he didn’t tell us so.

Six months after Paul Wellstone died, Norm Coleman did an interview with Roll Call. Leaning back in his chair and waving around an unlit cigar, he told the reporter, “To be very blunt, and God watch over Paul’s soul, I’m a 99% improvement over Paul Wellstone.”

When he apologized, he told us that what he really meant was that he was a 99% improvement over Paul Wellstone ­ in terms of supporting this White House.

And he meant it. In his first year, when President Bush’s approval ratings were high, he voted with the President 98% of the time.

He was a cheerleader for the war in Iraq, and even to this day continues to support the Bush policy of endless war.

He continues to support the Bush economic plan of irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthy, and even wants to make those tax cuts permanent.

As the Minnesota co-chair of Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign, he was an attack dog, serving as a member of Karl Rove’s “truth squad,” leading the Star Tribune to write that he had “demeaned the U.S. Senate and embarrassed many of his constituents.”

He called President Bush “God’s answer” to our prayers. And he wasn’t even being satirical.

This President has turned our federal government into a fully-owned-and-operated division of the Republican Party.

Last week, the Secretary of Education was dispatched to St. Paul, on the taxpayers’ dime, to stand with Norm Coleman and proudly announce a new pilot program ­ that will have absolutely nothing to do with the state of Minnesota. I guess that means they’re taking us seriously.

Even worse, this President has handed the keys to Washington over to the special interests.

Five years ago, Norm Coleman was given the amazing opportunity to serve the people of Minnesota in the Senate. But instead, he sold out to those same special interests.

Senator Coleman has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from defense contractors, oil companies, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies.

And these were good investments…for them.

After cashing checks from Halliburton, Senator Coleman fell down on the job as chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations while waste, fraud, and abuse sabotaged the re-construction of Iraq.

After cashing checks from Big Oil, Senator Coleman voted to give the oil companies billions of dollars in tax subsidies that they didn’t need and we can’t afford.

After cashing checks from the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, Coleman voted to prohibit Medicare from negotiating with drug companies for lower prices on prescriptions, costing seniors and taxpayers billions of dollars.

George W. Bush may be leaving office, but these special interests aren’t going anywhere without a fight.

So, it’s not enough that we take back the White House. It’s not even enough that we take more seats in Congress. We have to take back this government. We have to tell the special interests that they’re not so special anymore. We have to elect people who will stand up to the oil companies, stand up to the drug companies, stand up to the insurance industry, and stand up for the working families of this state.

This week, Senator Coleman is kicking off his re-election campaign with what he’s calling the “Bringing Minnesota Together” Tour.

Ironically, it seems that Senator Coleman is going to spend most of the “Bringing Minnesota Together” Tour attacking me.

But it won’t work, because the people of Minnesota understand the very simple decision they have to make: Did they really send Norm Coleman to Washington to be a rubber-stamp for the special interests, and can they really afford to give him six more years to keep doing it?

And I think if Senator Coleman is going to be “Bringing Minnesota Together,” he ought to bring the facts with him. Because, believe me, we know that Norm Coleman is going to try to re-write his record. That’s the only way he’ll have a chance to win. And are we going to let him do that?

No. We’re going to hold Norm Coleman accountable for what he’s done in the U.S. Senate. Because while he’s been in Washington, the people of Minnesota have indeed been brought together. George W. Bush and Norm Coleman have taken this country in the wrong direction ­ and they’ve taken all of us with them.

You don’t have to be sick to feel the impact of our broken health care system. We spend twice as much on health care per capita as any other industrialized country, and yet we’re ranked 37th in the world in outcomes. Every other industrialized country covers 100% of its citizens, but we’ve seen the number of uninsured balloon to 47 million, with tens of millions more who are underinsured and go to bed every night fearing that they’re just one health crisis away from bankruptcy. Fifty percent of all bankruptcies in this country are the result of a health crisis. They don’t have that in other countries.

And Minnesotans should know that their Senator, Norm Coleman, voted against allowing people forced into bankruptcy because of high medical costs to protect their homes.

You don’t have to be poor to feel the effects of the Republican Recession. In the last nine months, homeowners have lost nearly a quarter trillion dollars in home equity. Household income is stagnant, the job market is tanking, and middle-class families are feeling the squeeze from all sides.

You don’t have to be a parent to understand that we are leaving too many children behind. I haven’t met a teacher in this state who doesn’t believe in accountability ­ and I haven’t met a teacher who thinks No Child Left Behind is working. Whether it’s the narrowing of our curriculum, overcrowded classrooms, or the chronic under-funding of special education, our public schools need help, and they’re not getting it from Washington.

You don’t have to be a college student to know that the cost of higher education has skyrocketed to unacceptable levels. I met one student at MSU-Mankato who told me he works fulltime and sells his plasma twice a week to make tuition payments. And more often than not, when I tell that story around the state, someone in the audience nods and says, I know someone who does that, too.

You don’t have to be a veteran to know the cost of this war. Fifty-nine Minnesotans have lost their lives since we invaded Iraq a little over five years ago. Nearly five hundred have been wounded. In the towns they left to serve our country, countless neighbors, friends, and families have sacrificed. And all of us know the damage that this war has done to our economy, and to our standing in the world.

You don’t have to be progressive to recognize that there is nothing conservative about the movement conservatives that have held power in this country over the past seven years. There’s nothing conservative about misleading us into a war. There’s nothing conservative about running up huge deficits year after year. There’s nothing conservative about spying on Americans without warrants. And there’s nothing conservative about torture. I have to tell you, I never knew there were so many former Republicans until I started this campaign.

And, you know what, you don’t have to be a Democrat to want real change in Washington. No matter whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican, an Independent, or someone who’s never even thought about what party you might belong to, we welcome you to join this campaign.

Last October, I went on a ten-college tour. Some of the kids I met with were 11 years old when this President took office. They don’t remember that the federal government is supposed to work. They’ve seen Katrina. They’ve seen Iraq. And even sadder, they don’t remember that we were once the most respected country on the face of the planet.

After all, we are the country that sent a man to the moon, the country that mapped the human genome, the country that beat fascism and communism, the country that re-built Europe after World War II and still had enough juice left over to invent rock and roll and the Internet.

And I believe we can restore that greatness.

Instead of arguing over whether or not global warming really exists, we can turn this crisis into a tremendous opportunity by investing in renewable energy and energy efficient technologies. We can preserve our environment, improve our national security, end our dependence on foreign oil, reinvigorate our manufacturing sector, and create high-tech, high-paying jobs right here in Minnesota ­ all at the same time.

Instead of watching our jobs flow overseas, we can have a trade policy that encourages a race to the top, not a race to the bottom. I will not support any trade agreement that doesn’t have strong, enforceable labor, environmental, and safety standards. And here at home, I’ll proudly co-sponsor the Employee Free Choice Act, vote to raise the minimum wage, and work hard to make pensions more secure, because a hard day’s work deserves a decent day’s pay, and a lifetime of hard work deserves a secure and comfortable retirement.

Instead of the ironically-named No Child Left Behind, we can have great public schools for every American child ­ schools like the ones in St. Louis Park that helped my older brother to get into MIT and me to get into Harvard, becoming the first in our family to attend college. Schools with class sizes small enough, and curricula broad enough, to allow our teachers to develop the next generation of brilliant Americans instead of simply teaching them how to take a test.

Instead of being last in the industrialized world in preventive health care, instead of bankrupting our families and our nation with escalating health care costs, we can have universal health care and join the community of nations that covers every citizen.

Instead of shortchanging our veterans, we can honor their service and their sacrifice by making sure they get the benefits they’ve earned. I’ll fight to fully fund the VA so that every vet can have access to full physical, mental, and long-term care for life, and I’ll support a new G.I. Bill to renew the commitment we made to our vets over half a century ago.

Instead of continuing to lose billions of dollars a month and more precious American lives every day in Iraq, we can end this war, quickly and responsibly, and bring our troops home.

And after seven years of the Bush-Coleman economy driving us into a deep economic hole, we can finally stop digging.

Instead of more tax cuts for the wealthiest one percent, we can direct tax relief where it’s actually needed.

Instead of helping millionaire CEOs send their kids to Europe for the summer, we can help middle-class families send their kids to college in the fall by extending and expanding the tuition tax credit.

Instead of just bailing out Bear Stearns, we can help the family in Stearns County in danger of losing their home by implementing a moratorium on foreclosures.

Instead of just thinking about the next quarter, we can think about the next quarter century. We can end the Bush War on Science, and make permanent the research and development tax credit, so that the next great idea comes from right here in Minnesota. We can invest in early childhood education, to give every child a fair chance to succeed in this new century. And we can replace our cowboy foreign policy with one that engages our allies and addresses global challenges, instead of just responding to threats.

We have a lot of work to do together. But it starts by deciding that we are going to have a new direction in this country. We’re going to have a government that truly belongs to us. We’re going to have another chance in our lifetimes to restore America’s greatness.

I believe it more strongly every day. Paul Wellstone said, “The future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard.” I am so passionate about what we can achieve together. Are you ready to work hard alongside me?

It has been, and will continue to be, my privilege to work alongside you.

Thank you.

Until now, Sen. Norm Coleman has waged a reelection campaign remotely — mostly through press releases and Web videos. This week, he takes to the streets.

On Wednesday, Coleman officially launches his campaign with a rally, followed by a three-day tour around the state and another day attending GOP congressional district conventions.

Not willing to cede the spotlight, Democrat Al Franken announced this morning that on Tuesday he’ll hold a rally, announce “exciting new endorsements and deliver a major speech defining the issues of this campaign.” That event will be in the State Capitol Rotunda at 10:30 a.m.

The Coleman tour begins at his campaign headquarters, 680 Transfer Rd., St Paul, at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Later in the day he stops in Rochester, Duluth and Moorhead. Thursday’s schedule brings him to Fergus Falls, Alexandria and St. Cloud. On Friday, he make six stops — in Shakopee, St. Peter, Mankato, Waseca, Owatonna and Albert Lea. (The time and location of each stop can be found in the Coming Up feature on Politically Connected, www.startribune.com/politics.

On Saturday, he attends congressional district endorsing coventions in Albert Lea (First District), Northfield (Second District) and Hibbing (Eighth District).

The other major candidate in the race, Democrat Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, has a Friday night event on his public schedule — holding a campaign house party in Minneapolis. (Details in Coming Up.)

On Friday, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer’s campaign sent out a three-exclamation-point press release headlined: “Thanks to you, this is now a two person race!!!”

The release claimed that Nelson-Pallmeyer had “surpassed Mike Ciresi in delegate support.” It cited a local DFL convention Duluth, and gave the delegate-selection results as Nelson-Pallmeyer 10, Al Franken 10 and Ciresi 2.

The DFL doesn’t track delegates at this stage of the U.S. Senate race — between the precinct caucuses and the state endorsing convention in June — so there’s no way to measure delegates statewide. But anecdotal reports were confirming the essence of Nelson-Pallmeyer’s point: Ciresi was struggling.

This afternoon, Ciresi abandoned the race, issuing a press release that barely addressed why he made the decision. This passage was the only comment on that point: “In my judgment, continuing the endorsement race would only lead to an unnecessary floor fight. It is time to step aside.”

Now, it really is a two-person race. (There are a couple other candidates who aren’t a factor).

Franken clearly is — and always has been — the frontrunner. He has raised $5.2 million for his campaign, compared with $284,000 for Nelson-Pallmeyer. Franken has already run television commercials, and he enjoys high name recognition by virtue of his celebrity status. However, he also has a high unfavorable rating.

Nelson-Pallmeyer was a late entrant, only announcing his candidacy in October. He has run an energetic campaign, has impressed debate audiences and can point to a passionate group of supporters.

Usually, when it comes to describing a candidate’s supporters, “passionate” is code for “small.”

Is that the case with Nelson-Pallmeyer?

Compared to Franken, Nelson-Pallmeyer certainly lacks the nationwide network of financial contributors. Closer to home, Nelson-Pallmeyer is coming up short in key union endorsements, compared with Franken, who has the backing of labor groups ranging from teachers to public employees to steelworkers to teamsters.

We’ve seen in the past, though, that Minnesota’s process of selecting convention delegates through the precinct caucus system opens the door wide open to the right grassroots candidate.

Is Nelson-Pallmeyer that candidate?

This report was filed by Washington Correspondent Nina Petersen-Perlman.

Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call is reporting that U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman’s name is being tossed around as a potential new chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 2009-2010 term, assuming he retains his seat in the 2008 election.

The committee head is elected for a two-year term by the Republican Senate caucus to travel the country, soliciting donations, supporting candidates facing election and recruiting candidates. Sen. John Ensign (Nev.), the current chairman, “sees no scenario where he will run for the NRSC Chair again,” said NRSC Spokesman Rebecca Fisher.

Coleman ran for the job in 2006 but lost by one vote to Elizabeth Dole (N.C.).

Coleman’s office is staying mum on whether he would consider taking another shot at it, saying that he is focusing all his energy on the upcoming election.“(He) has taken no steps toward chairing the NRSC in the future,” said Press Secretary LeRoy Coleman.

NRSC spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher would not confirm that the Minnesota senator is on their short list for leadership, calling it “speculation.”

This priceless political fundraising pitch was forwarded to me by colleague Howard Sinker.

It’s an e-mail from Gayle Kagen, wife of Wisconsin Democratic Congressman Steve Kagen: “I’m so proud of my husband…Steve’s 58th birthday is this week. It would be a wonderful gift for Steve to see how many people are behind him and want to keep him in Congress by sending a birthday donation to his re-election campaign fund.”

Don’t you think Steve would be just as touched if you sent him a tie, or even a musical greeting card? And by the way, don’t breathe a word of this to him; I’m sure Gayle thought this up and sent out the e-mail all by herself.

You’ll be happy to know that, if you send a check, Gayle will allow you to do this, too: “You can also include a note of thanks with your donation if you wish.”

While I’m at it, here’s a snippet from a recent fundraising appeal from Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, who relies on the tried and true approach of hoping to cash in by raising the spectre of his opponent — Democrat Al Franken — actually winning:

“You see, Franken is trying to clean up his act. Reinvent himself. He’s cut down on the profanity. Instead of cussing out Republicans he now calls for bipartisanship. Instead of crude jokes about political opponents, he talks civility.

“Liberal donors from across the country get the joke. They know that, if elected, the venomous, deeply partisan Al Franken they know and love will come out on the floor of the U.S. Senate.”

If you have fundraising e-mails or letters that you’re particularly fond of, by all means share them here — or send them to me as the campaign wears on. You can e-mail them to PoliticallyConnected@startribune.com, or mail them to:

Dennis McGrath
Editor, Politically Connected
Minneapolis Star Tribune
425 Portland Ave.
Minneapolis, MN. 55488

On today’s Pig’s Eye Podcast, we talk with U.S. Senate candidate Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer. He’s proving to be very popular at the Democratic candidate debates.

On Pig’s Eye, Nelson-Pallmeyer talks about a number of topics in which he differs from his DFL rivals, including Iran and nuclear weapons and single-payer health care. You can listen to the podcast here.

To learn more about Nelson-Pallmeyer:

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer

Here’s our story when he announced his candidacy.

Here’s a story about a DFL debate on Nov. 27, and another story about a debate on Sept. 30, before he had declared his candidacy.

Here’s Nelson-Pallmeyer’s website.

Here are some blogger reports or comments about him, including Norweigianity’s summary of the Nov. 27 debate, and Minnesota Monitor’s summary of the same debate.

How do you assess Nelson-Pallmeyer’s chances of winning the DFL endorsement and nomination, and of beating Sen. Norm Coleman?

Corn. Cotton. Sugar. Rice.

Name a crop and, it seems, there’s a government subsidy or protective tariff for it.

The much-denounced system of ag supports is about to be renewed in Congress, and it’s a pretty safe bet that any changes to the heart of the program will be minimal.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Today, our Washington correspondents, Kevin Diaz and Nina Petersen-Perlman, write about the latest effort to trim it back. You can read their story here. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D), is trying to limit government payments to farmers with more than $750,000 in adjusted gross income, arguing that the program currently provides subsidies to people who don’t need them.

“Right now nearly 600 residents of New York City, 559 residents of Washington, DC, and even 21 residents of Beverly Hills 90210 have received federal farm checks in the past three years,” she said last month in a Senate speech. Here’s her full statement.

The Environmental Working Group has been leading the way in calling attention to all the urban “suits” receiving farm subsidies — from athletes to millionaire corporate CEOs. The EWG has done great work making the data accessibile.

For example, I found that 250 people in my decidedly suburban Minnetonka zip code have received farm subsidies totalling more than $3 million from 1995-2005. You can search the database here. And you can find the EWG home page here.

Here’s the Heritage Foundation’s analysis of what’s wrong with the Senate farm bill, and how to improve it.

Sen. Norm Coleman

Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., takes up the defense of the subsidy system, saying the actions of foreign governments makes U.S. subsidies necessary.

“Why do our farm families need a safety net at all? The answer, in part, lies with a world market that is today neither free nor fair. For example, when the world looks at America, it sees U.S. tariffs averaging about 12%. Meanwhile, when American farm families looks at the world, they see an average tariff of about 62% — or 5 times as much.” The rest of Coleman’s statement on agriculture issues can be found here.

And here’s an argument by Diggers Realm that the subsidies are valuable as a homeland security effort.

The dispute over farm subsidies is, of course, not limited to the domestic political arena. It’s a global battle. A few years back, the British Guardian newspaper gave birth to an organization called kickAAS — Kick All Agricultural Subsidies. Here’s the kickAAS site.

The U.S. farm lobby has gotten smaller over the years, as there are fewer but larger farm operations. But the lobby has retained its clout, at least in part because agriculture — whether grain, livestock, cotton, vegetable, fruit or dairy production — is an important industry in virtually every state. It’s no surprise, for example, that the major presidential candidates are not campaigning to end farm subsidies — not with the Iowa caucuses coming up.

What do you think? Is the income limit on full-time farmers that Klobuchar is suggesting a reasonable one? Or could it, as Coleman argues, fracture the coalition of farm interests trying to get the farm bill passed? Do you prefer his plan to direct the reform at “part-time” farmers?

A new poll shows Sen. Norm Coleman in a dead heat with Al Franken and Mike Ciresi, the two leading Democratic candidates.

Here’s the poll, taken by SurveyUSA for Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

The poll has Coleman at 46 percent when matched against Franken, who has 45 percent. Against Ciresi, Coleman gets 44 percent and Ciresi gets 44 percent.

Other hightlights:

The favorable ratings for all three candidates are low. Coleman’s favorable and unfavorable ratings are about even; Franken’s unfavorables are much higher than his favorables; and Ciresi is still struggling to make himself known.

The gender gap is significant. Coleman runs 11 points better among men than among women vs. Franken. And Coleman runs 15 points better among men than women vs. Ciresi.

Here’s a look back at the Star Tribune’s Minnesota Poll taken in September, which included Coleman job approval and candidate image questions, but no horse-race questions.

Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race is being watched closely by many outside Minnesota. Here’s a look at what bloggers beyond our borders are saying.

Al Franken

Al Franken

The Texas Liberal blog reports from inside Franken’s fundraiser in Houston recently. Besides recounting what Franken had to say — he described himself as the likely DFL nominee; he’ll fight aggressively against negative attacks; and he likes meeting people — Texas Liberal tells how to get into a $500 fundraiser for a mere $50.

Brendan Nyhan takes Franken to task for suggesting that the government levy fines for lying on the airwaves, arguing that Franken’s position would silence speech and target political minorities.

This link on Propeller.com — to a recent story in The Nation – led to a lively exchange, with views on Franken ranging from he’ll lose because he projects an air of intellectual superiority to he’ll have so much hilarious material to work with as a senator that he’ll make C-SPAN worth watching.

Norm Coleman
Coleman’s vote in committee Wednesday against the Law of the Sea treaty landed him in some blogs yesterday. The Citizens for Global Solutions pointed out in a blog posting that of the four “no” votes, “the biggest surprise was Coleman, who voted in favor of the treaty in 2004.” It goes on to say that “substance means little to Coleman, who was John Bolton’s strongest supporter in confirmation hearings during the last Congress.” The treaty is opposed by some who argue that it cedes U.S. sovereignty to the United Nations and an international commission.

Sen. Norm Coleman

THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS reports on Coleman’s recent speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition in Washington and includes this tribute to him: “Whether it is the War on Terror or a collapsing bridge, Norm Coleman gets the big picture. His toughness is mixed with a significant amount of warmth. He is a genuinely kind man, and he was truly beloved in the room.” The blogger also offers Coleman a line he can use that equates Democrats with Minnesota Vikings on a party boat. Coleman laughs (but I don’t think you’ll be hearing Coleman use the line himself).

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer
Nelson-Pallmeyer got a plug in the Citizens for Global Solutions blog posting about the Law of the Sea Treaty (see above). It added an update to the item about Coleman, noting that Nelson-Pallmeyer “is the first of Coleman’s challengers out of the gate to point out this massive and as-yet-unexplained flip flop.”

Nelson-Pallmeyer also earned a mention in the Lonely Candidate, which tracks instances in which candidates who claim to be the only one who (fill-in-the-blank). It cited this quote from Nelson-Pallmeyer: “I’m the only candidate in this race who has a hyphenated last name.”

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer

Mike Ciresi
Ciresi received a passing plug in a Rhode Island’s Future blog item about Franken appearing at the Blue State Coffee shop in Providence. Matt Jerzyk says, “I actually like the other Democrat in the race - Mike Ciresi - as much as Franken.” That’s as far as the praise goes, but there you have it.

Mike Ciresi

On Daily Kos, The Big E writes about how the Iraq war is playing in the race. Ciresi has been jabbing at Franken for supporting the war at the outset. The Big E shoot back that while Ciresi opposed the war at the outset, he didn’t do much to act on his opposition. He adds: “Which leads me to one critical point about Mike Ciresi in comparison to Al Franken. Ciresi hasn’t done much in the last five years.”

Jim Cohen
Cohen is another Democratic challenger, but when he shows up in non-Minnesota blogs, the posting is not about him. He’s just mentioned as another candidate. If anyone knows of non-Minnesota posts about him, please add them.