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Template:Future election in the United States

Norm Coleman
United States Senator
from Minnesota
In office
January 7, 2003 – January 3, 2009
Preceded byDean Barkley
Succeeded byAl Franken
52nd Mayor of St. Paul
In office
1994–2002
Preceded byJames Scheibel
Succeeded byRandy Kelly
Personal details
Born (1949-08-17) August 17, 1949 (age 75)
New York City, New York
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican (1996–present)
Democratic-Farmer-Labor (1988–96)
SpouseLaurie Coleman
ChildrenJacob Coleman
Sarah Coleman
Adam Coleman
Grace Coleman
ResidenceSt. Paul, Minnesota
Alma materHofstra University
University of Iowa College of Law
OccupationAttorney
WebsiteNorm Coleman — United States Senator — Minnesota

Norman Bertram "Norm" Coleman Jr. (born August 17, 1949) is a former United States senator from Minnesota pending the outcome of litigation to resolve the recount of the 2008 election. Coleman was elected in 2002, serving in the 108th, 109th, and 110th Congresses. He also served as the mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1994 to 2002. Previously a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Coleman switched to the Republican Party in 1996.

Coleman's 2008 re-election bid, in which he was challenged by Democrat Al Franken, is still in dispute. Although Coleman initially led Franken after the election, the margin of his lead was insufficient to avoid a mandatory recount. Following the recount, Franken was certified on January 5, 2009 by the Minnesota State Canvassing Board with 225 votes more than Coleman.[1] The State of Minnesota has not yet issued a certificate of election concerning the race. Coleman's campaign filed an election contest on January 6 attempting to overturn the recount.[2] Coleman's term in office officially ended on January 3, 2009. On January 15, the Senate unanimously approved a resolution authorizing Coleman and his staff access to his former Senate office space until February 4, 2009, for the purposes of archiving and transfering case files on constituent services to other Minnesota representatives.[3] Coleman is currently working as an adviser to the Republican Jewish Coalition.[4]

Early life

Senator Norm Coleman with his wife, Laurie Coleman.

Coleman was born in New York to Beverly and Norman Bertram Coleman, Sr. He was a graduate of James Madison High School in Brooklyn and Hofstra University on Long Island. New York Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, attended high school with Coleman; Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg are both graduates of the same high school. During his time at college, Coleman was an active member of the 1960s counterculture, he celebrated his 20th birthday at the Woodstock Festival,[5] and was allegedly a marijuana user.[6]

Coleman attended Brooklyn Law School from 1972 until 1974 but later received his Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law.[7] After receiving his law degree in 1976, Coleman began working as a prosecutor in the Minnesota Attorney General's office. Coleman worked for the Minnesota Attorney General until he was elected mayor of St. Paul, eventually working his way up to chief prosecutor and solicitor general.[8]

Personal life

Coleman is married to Laurie Coleman (née Casserly in 1956), an actress.[9] They have two children, Jacob and Sarah. Two other children died during infancy (Adam, 1983; Grace, 1992) from a rare genetic disorder known as Zellweger syndrome.[10]

Coleman is also a Freemason, having been made a Mason at sight in 2003 by then Grand Master of Masons in Minnesota, Neil Neddermeyer.[11]

Political career

Mayor of Saint Paul

In 1993, Coleman was elected mayor of St. Paul as a Democrat.[12] Coleman had also run for mayor in 1989, but he dropped out when Jim Scheibel won the DFL endorsement.[13][14][15] In 1996, he joined the Republican Party[16] and was reelected in 1997 as a Republican, beating DFL nominee State Senator Sandy Pappas.[17]

Norm Coleman's most well-known accomplishment as mayor of Saint Paul was bringing professional hockey back to Minnesota. In 1993, the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas, Texas. The loss of their National Hockey League franchise was particularly tough on local sports fans since many felt that Minnesota was the hockey capital of the United States. Coleman played to these feelings as well as the sibling rivalry between Saint Paul and Minneapolis in his efforts.[18] Several attempts to lure existing NHL teams to play at the Civic Center Arena failed. [19] [20]On June 7, 1997 the NHL awarded Saint Paul an expansion franchise, later named the Minnesota Wild, that would play a new arena in downtown at the site of Civic Center Arena. The new arena, later named the Xcel Energy Center, was built with $65 million of funding from the state and $30 million from the city of Saint Paul. [21][22] Later as Senator Coleman was instrumental in bringing the 2008 Republican National Convention to the Xcel Center.

After succeeding in bringing professional hockey to Saint Paul, Coleman also attempted to bring Major League Baseball. Coleman made several attempts to get the Minnesota Twins to move from Minneapolis. The closest these attempts came to success was in 1999 when Saint Paul voters rejected a referendum that would have authorized a 0.5 % sale tax in the city to pay for building the Twins a stadium in downtown Saint Paul.[23] In 2006 plans were finalized to build the Twins a new stadium, later named Target Field in downtown Minneapolis.

Coleman's efforts at lobbying for the hockey team and arena raised his profile around the state and helped him make contacts that would help him in his later statewide runs for office. In 1998 while serving as Mayor he lost a bid for Governor of Minnesota against former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura, a member of the Reform Party of Minnesota, and Democratic Farmer Labor candidate Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III.

U.S. Senate

Coleman had made plans for a second run for governor in 2002, but was persuaded by Karl Rove and George W. Bush to run against incumbent Senator Paul Wellstone in that year's Senate election. The White House was determined to unseat Wellstone, and felt Coleman, with his popularity in heavily Democratic St. Paul, offered the best chance of doing so. Coleman easily won the Republican nomination.

Coleman and Wellstone were neck-and-neck in most polls for most of the campaign.[24] Wellstone died in a plane crash on October 25, 2002. The Democrats named former Vice President Walter Mondale to replace Wellstone on the ballot. Mondale had held the same Senate seat from 1964 to 1977.

Coleman narrowly defeated Mondale in the election, winning by just over 61,000 votes out of over 2 million statewide. It is generally believed[citation needed] that Mondale—and indeed the entire DFL ticket—was hampered by voter anger over the atmosphere at Wellstone's memorial service, at which Governor Jesse Ventura and Senator Trent Lott were booed[25]. Coleman succeeded Dean Barkley, who had been appointed by Ventura to serve the remaining two months of Wellstone's term.

In April 2003, Coleman told a Capitol Hill reporter that he was a "99% improvement" over Wellstone because he had a better working relationship with the White House. Many supporters of Wellstone were offended and felt that this was deeply insulting, and at least one member of Congress urged Coleman to apologize.[26] In 2004 Coleman campaigned for the chairmanship of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), but was narrowly defeated for the post by North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole in a 28-27 vote.[citation needed]

Committee assignments

  • Committee on Foreign Relations
    • Subcommittee on African Affairs
    • Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs (Ranking Member)
    • Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs
  • Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
  • Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
    • Subcommittee on Energy, Science and Technology
    • Subcommittee on Nutrition and Food Assistance, Sustainable and Organic Agriculture, and General Legislation (Ranking Member)
    • Subcommittee on Production, Income Protection and Price Support
  • Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
    • Ad Hoc Subcommittee on State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration
    • Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (Ranking Member)
  • Special Committee on Aging

2008 re-election campaign

The initial results of the 2008 November 4 election, as certified by the State Canvassing Board, showed that Coleman held a narrow lead of 215 votes over former Air America host and comedian Al Franken of the DFL out of almost 2.9 million votes cast, with a 15 percent showing by Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley.[27] On November 5, Coleman claimed victory in the race. However, Minnesota law requires an automatic recount of the votes because of such a narrow margin.[28]. On December 24, 2008, after losing a unanimous decision at the hands of the Minnesota Supreme Court, Coleman's lawyers stated that it was now a "virtual certainty" that Coleman would contest the results of the election.[29]

On January 5, 2009, Franken was certified as the winner of the recount by 225 votes. Coleman filed a legal challenge of the results.[30] on January 6[2] [31], and a three-judge panel was seated.[32] Coleman's term officially expired on January 3, 2009.[33]. On February 3, 2009, the three-judge panel allowed him to introduce evidence to be considered in the recount trial that as many as 4,800 absentee ballots were wrongly rejected and should now be counted. The Franken campaign had tried to limit Coleman to bringing evidence on only 650 absentee ballots cited in the initial court filing. [34]

With the outcome of the election still in doubt, Coleman took a position as an adviser to the Republican Jewish Coalition, a conservative, pro-Israel lobbying group. Coleman spokesperson Mark Drake said that Coleman's acceptance of the position was not a signal that he expected to lose in his bid to ultimately win the election.[35]

A new ruling in the election shows that Colemans campaign will have to look to the Minnesota Supreme court for any chance of victory. [36]

Political positions

Norm Coleman

Coleman's politics have changed dramatically throughout his political career. In college, Coleman was a liberal Democrat and was actively involved in the anti-war movement of the early 1970s. He ran for student senate and opined in the school newspaper that his fellow students should vote for him because he knew that "these conservative kids don't fuck or get high like we do (purity, you know)... Already the cries of motherhood, apple pie, and Jim Buckley reverberate through the halls of the Student Center. Everyone watch out, the 1950s bobby-sox generation is about to take over."[10]

While running for mayor in 1993, Coleman wrote in a letter to the City Convention Delegates: "I have never sought any other political office. I have no other ambition other than to be mayor." He goes on in the same letter to say:

I am a lifelong Democrat. Some accuse me of being the fiscal conservative in this race — I plead guilty! I'm not afraid to be tight with your tax dollars.
Yet, my fiscal conservatism does not mean I am any less progressive in my Democratic ideals. From Bobby Kennedy to George McGovern to Warren Spannaus to Hubert Humphrey to Walter Mondale — my commitment to the great values of our party has remained solid.

In December 1996, Coleman announced he was leaving the DFL party to join the Republican Party. He cited his frustrations with the Democratic Party and his belief that the Republican Party offered the best chance to continue his efforts to hold the line on taxes and grow jobs.[37] [38]

Many in Minnesota speculated that his switch was motivated by his known aspirations for statewide office — something that would have been difficult considering distrust of him by DFL party leaders [39]. As an abortion opponent and a frequent adversary of public employee unions, Coleman’s positions put him at odds with the DFL Party in Minnesota and aligned him more closely with Republicans. In a letter to supporters announcing the switch, Coleman wrote that “while the political party I belong to changes, nothing about how I govern or what I believe changes at all.”[40]

Coleman was re-elected in 1997, with nearly 60% of the vote.

Ironically, prior to becoming a Republican and running against him in 2002, Coleman chaired Wellstone's Senate re-election campaign in 1996. While making the Wellstone nomination speech at the 1996 state DFL convention, Coleman stated: "Paul Wellstone is a Democrat, and I am a Democrat." At this point in time, tensions were so high between Coleman and the DFL party that a number of delegates at the convention were loudly booing Coleman's speech.[41]

Coleman is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership. In March 2007, National Journal ranked Coleman the fourth most liberal Republican in the Senate.[42] GovTrack, an independent tracking website, also describes Coleman as a "moderate Republican" based on their own bill analysis.[43]

In September 2008, Coleman joined the bipartisan Gang of 20, which is seeking a bipartisan solution to the American energy crisis. The group is pushing for a bill that would encourage state-by-state decisions on offshore drilling and authorize billions of dollars for conservation and alternative energy.[44]

He received a 14% progressive rating from Progressive Punch[45] And he scored a 73% conservative rating by the conservative group, SBE Council.[46] In contrast, Minnesota's other senator at the time, Democrat Mark Dayton, received a score of 90% progressive and 9% conservative by the same groups.[45][46]

Iraq

From the start, Coleman was a strong supporter of the war in Iraq and the War on Terror. He has been a consistent supporter of the war over the past several years, and generally tended to agree with the positions of the Bush Administration on Iraq. He is in favor of the eventual removal of U.S. troops from Iraq, but does not believe in any kind of timetable for the removal of troops until the situation in Iraq becomes more stable. According to Eric Black of MinnPost.com, "He believes the prospects are good for a drawdown of U.S. troops, but it must be done based on conditions on the ground as reported by commanders in the field, not according to an "arbitrary" timetable set for "political" reasons in Washington."[47]

Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Environment

On December 11, 2005, Coleman voted in favor of invoking cloture on, thus advancing, a defense appropriations bill that included oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) after having pledged in 2002 to oppose such drilling. He stated that he did so because although he planned to vote against the bill, he did not believe that a filibuster was warranted. In spite of this, many environmental advocacy groups (most notably the Sierra Club)[48] viewed his vote as a betrayal of his promise. His vote notwithstanding, the filibuster held, and Coleman voted to strip the ANWR provision from the bill in a subsequent vote.[49][50][51][52][53] Sen. Coleman received a score of 33% for 2007 from the League of Conservation Voters,[54] [55] in their view taking the pro-environment position in just five of fourteen cases.

Abortion, stem-cell research, and Schiavo case

Coleman has campaigned as a pro-life candidate since at least 1993.[40] Coleman attributes his position on abortion to the death of two of his four children in infancy from a rare genetic disease. He supports limiting stem cell research to adult stem cells and stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood, and, in July 2006, he voted against lifting restrictions on federal research dollars for new embryonic stem cell lines.[56][57] Senator Coleman is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership a group which supports Embryonic Stem Cell Research. [58] Senator Coleman voted in favor of legislative intervention to prolong the life of severely brain-damaged Floridian Terri Schiavo.[59][60][61]

Gay rights

Coleman opposes recognition of same-sex marriages by either the federal or state governments.[62] In his 2002 Senate campaign, Coleman pledged support for an amendment to the United States Constitution that would ban any state from issuing marriage licenses to people of the same sex.[citation needed] In 2004 and in June 2006, he voted in favor of such an amendment.[63]

When he was mayor, Coleman refused to sign a city proclamation celebrating the annual gay pride festival, explaining his opposition: "What we have had in St. Paul and Minneapolis for many years is signing a joint proclamation making it gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender month. I will say that I support human rights... And of course that includes sexual orientation. On the other hand, I've felt very strongly that it wasn't government's responsibility to give proclamations for people's sexuality. I don't think government has a responsibility to issue awards for one's sexuality." [64][65] Coleman hired transgendered Susan Kimberly, formerly Robert Sylvester, to be his deputy mayor in 1998. Kimberly also worked as Coleman’s Minnesota Senate Office as State Director.[66][dead link]

Marijuana issues

Coleman recently made this statement about marijuana legalization: "I oppose the legalization of marijuana because, as noted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, marijuana can have serious adverse health affects on individuals. The health problems that may occur from this highly addictive drug include short-term memory loss, anxiety, respiratory illness and a risk of lung cancer that far exceeds that of tobacco products. It would also make our transportation, schools and workplaces, just as examples, more dangerous."[67] The irony of Coleman's position on drug policy, specifically that of marijuana, is that he was known to be a frequent marijuana smoker as well as a marijuana legalization activist as an undergraduate student at Hofstra University.[68]

Relationship to the Bush administration

In 2002, the Bush Administration persuaded Coleman to run against Wellstone rather than try for the governorship.[69] [70]

In December 2005, Coleman voted for a budget bill that cut funding from a number of programs, but kept funding for sugar beet farmers in Minnesota after Rove asked him to support the administration's position on the issue. Coleman told Congress Daily that he would not vote for a bill that cut sugar beet funding but "Karl Rove called me and asked what I wanted. A few hours later it was out of the bill."[71]

On March 14, 2006, Coleman called on President Bush to replace or reorganize his staff, stating that they did not sufficiently have their "ears to the ground" on matters like Hurricane Katrina, Harriet Miers' failed Supreme Court nomination, and the Dubai Ports World controversy and accusing the administration of having a "tin ear."[72] He stated that they showed inadequate "political sensitivity" in their handling of the issues.

On January 22, 2007, Coleman, along with fellow Republican Senators John Warner and Susan Collins, joined Democrats in opposition to President Bush's planned troop increase in Iraq.[73]

CAFTA

Picture of Coleman, President Bush, and others at CAFTA signing

Coleman expressed reservations about supporting CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) unless the interests of the domestic U.S. sugar industry (including Minnesota's sugar beet industry) were accommodated.[74][75][76] He voted in favor of CAFTA after obtaining quotas imposed on foreign sugar until 2008. He stood behind President Bush on August 2, 2005, as the trade agreement was signed into law.[77] "This is a 3 year insurance policy that I have purchased for my sugar farmers..." he said.[78]

Social Security

Coleman supports allowing workers to divert a portion of their Social Security contributions to the creation of individual accounts to be invested in the stock market, a variation of a general plan referred to by supporters as "personal accounts," referred to historically as "privatization."[79][80][81] He agrees with President Bush's statements that the contribution changes would apply to those younger than 55.[82] "The Social Security system for those folks 55 and over will not change in any way, shape or form — no ifs, ands, or buts," he said.

Investigations Subcommittee and Galloway testimony

In May 2005, the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Coleman, held hearings on their investigation of abuses of the UN Oil-for-Food program, including oil smuggling, illegal kickbacks and use of surcharges, and Saddam Hussein's use of oil vouchers for the purpose of buying influence abroad. These Oil-for-Food Program Hearings covered corporations (including Bayoil) and several well-known political figures of various nations (including Vladimir Zhironovsky), but are much remembered for the confrontational appearance of British Member of Parliament George Galloway, a member of the RESPECT The Unity Coalition (Respect), a then-new British political party. Coleman accused Galloway of abuses, which Galloway denied. [83][84] The previous year, Coleman had called for the UN's Secretary-general Kofi Annan to resign for other alleged program abuses. On June 2, 2006, Coleman responded to criticism that he had insufficiently investigated the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) for sanctions busting, saying that there were legal and cost hurdles.[3] The Prime Minister of Australia at the time, John Howard, was a supporter of the invasion of Iraq. The Australian ambassador to the U.S., Michael Thawley, met with Coleman in late 2004 to lobby against any investigation of AWB. [85][86]

Government infrastructure

On February 10, 2006, in a meeting of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of which Coleman is a member, during testimony of former FEMA director Michael D. Brown, Coleman attacked Brown for poor leadership during Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts, "you didn't provide the leadership, even with structural infirmities." Coleman went on, "you're not prepared to kind of put a mirror in front of your face and recognize your own inadequacies" and "the record reflects that you didn't get it or you didn't in writing or in some way make commands that would move people to do what has to be done until way after it should have been done."[87] Brown responded combatively, "well, Senator, that's very easy for you to say sitting behind that dais and not being there in the middle of that disaster, watching that human suffering and watching those people dying and trying to deal with those structural dysfunctionalities"[88] and implored Coleman to stick to questions.[89] He later likened Coleman's charges to a "drive-by shooting."[90] Brown had recently stated that he notified Department of Homeland Security and the White House of the tremendous scale of Katrina flooding earlier than had been previously reported.[91]

On March 14, 2006, Coleman introduced a bill that would ban foreign companies from operating ports in the United States and most of Canada. (S.2410, 3/14/2006: A bill to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to limit foreign control of investments in certain United States critical infrastructure).

In March 2007, Coleman introduced legislation (S. 754[92]) to kill the Defense Travel System,[93] a program intended to automate the purchasing of travel services by the U.S. Department of Defense, which accounts for more than half of the federal government's total outlays of around $11 billion annually for travel, including transportation, lodging, and rental cars. Shortly after he filed the legislation, Coleman received a generous contribution from the CEO of Carlson Companies, which owns Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a business travel management firm whose CW Government Travel unit provides travel management services for some federal agencies. The Carlson Companies is based in Minnesota. Over the years, Coleman has received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from people connected with Carlson Companies.[94]

Deep Marine Technologies/Hays cases

In late October, 2008, Coleman was listed as a beneficiary of ethically suspect activity in a lawsuit filed in Texas by Paul McKim, CEO of Deep Marine Technologies (DMT) against Nasser Kazeminy. Kazeminy is a longtime supporter of Coleman and owner of a controlling share of DMT. [95]. The petition alleges that Kazeminy used DMT to funnel $75,000 or more to Coleman's wife Laurie through her employer, Hays Companies, in order to enrich Senator Coleman. Exhibits filed with the petition show what appear to be multiple Hays invoices for services to DMT in amounts of $25,000 each. McKim states that Kazeminy threatened to fire McKim if he did not go along with the scheme. McKim's petition covers several issues, of which the Coleman matter is only one. Neither Coleman nor his wife are named as defendants in the suit.[96]

On Friday, October 31, a related suit was filed in Delaware Chancery Court by minority shareholders in DMT. The Delaware suit also alleges that DMT was used as a conduit for unearned funds to Laurie Coleman through Hays Companies, at the behest of Kazeminy. As in the Texas case, the Colemans are not named as defendants. [97]

Coleman responded with a campaign ad in which he denied the allegations and blamed them on his opponent in the 2008 senate race, Democrat Al Franken. [98]

Electoral history

2008 Minnesota U.S. Senate Election[27][99][100]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic (DFL) Al Franken 1,212,431 41.991 % −5.35 %
Republican Norm Coleman 1,212,206 41.984 % −7.55
Independence Dean Barkley 437,505 15.153 % +13.15 %
Libertarian Charles Aldrich 13,923 0.482 % n/a
Constitution James Niemackl 8,907 0.308 % +0.21 %
Write-ins 2,365 0.082 %
Margin of victory 225 0.007%
Turnout 2,887,337 100% +28 %


2002 Minnesota U.S. Senate Election[101]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Norm Coleman 1,116,697 49.53% +8.25%
Democratic (DFL) Walter Mondale 1,067,246 47.34% −2.98%
Independence Jim Moore 45,139 2.00% −4.98%
Democratic (DFL) Paul Wellstone 11,381 0.50%
Green Ray Tricomo 10,119 0.45%
Minnesota Gubernatorial Election 1998
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independence Jesse Ventura 768,356 37
Republican Norm Coleman 713,410 34
Democratic (DFL) Hubert Humphrey III 581,497 28
St. Paul Mayoral Election 1997
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Norm Coleman 58.7
Democratic (DFL) Sandy Pappas 40.8
St. Paul Mayoral Election 1993
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic (DFL) Norm Coleman 54.7
Democratic (DFL) Andy Dawkins 44.3

See also

References

  1. ^ Welch, Chris (2009-01-05). "Minnesota canvassing board certifies Franken win". CNN. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  2. ^ a b "Minnesota Senate Seat Election Contest". Minnesota Courts. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2009-01-06. Cite error: The named reference "contest" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ Diaz, Kevin (2009-01-15). "Coleman can keep office until Feb. 4, senators say". Mineapolis Star Tribune. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
  4. ^ Fecke, Jeff (2009-01-22). "As Recount Drags On, Coleman Takes a New Job". The Alexandria Independent. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  5. ^ Star Tribune
  6. ^ http://www.minnesotamonitor.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2013
  7. ^ Project Vote Smart
  8. ^ Newshour Online
  9. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0171114/ IMDB Listing for Laurie Coleman
  10. ^ a b Norm's Conquest — City Pages, 2/11/98
  11. ^ The Minnesota Mason January-February 2006 Vol. 53 No. 5
  12. ^ New York Times, Nov 3, 1993.
  13. ^ St. Paul Pioneer Press, Jan 31, 1989.
  14. ^ Newshour, 2002.
  15. ^ St. Paul Pioneer Press, November 3, 1993.
  16. ^ New York Times, December 20, 1996.
  17. ^ New York Times, Nov 5, 1997
  18. ^ "Minnesota's squabbling twins". The economist. 1997-10-30.
  19. ^ Winnipeg Jets to Relocate in Desert, 2008-12-05, Associated Press.
  20. ^ It's time to help homeless Whalers, by Tom Powers, Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 2008-03-26.
  21. ^ Council approves hockey plan, Associated Press, 1997-06-07.
  22. ^ MN: Carlson Makes Deal With Legislature, Bulletin Broadfaxing Network, 1998-04-10.
  23. ^ St. Paul, Houston lose, Scottsdale, San Antonio say yes to arenas, by Associated Press,by Ashley H. Grant, 1999-11-03.
  24. ^ Zdechlik, Mark (September 18, 2002). "Wellstone, Coleman race remains tight, poll says". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  25. ^ http://archives.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/10/30/elec02.fallout.memorial/
  26. ^ "Coleman Should Apologize for Wellstone Remark, Congresswoman Says" — Minneapolis Star-Tribune 04/08/03
  27. ^ a b "General Election Results". Minnesota Secretary of State. 2008-11-18. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
  28. ^ Star Tribune
  29. ^ http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/coleman-camp-lawsuit-a-virtual-certainty-2008-12-24.html
  30. ^ "Board certifies recount results with Franken on top". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  31. ^ "Notice of Contest" (PDF). Minnesota Courts. January 6, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
  32. ^ "As judges named, Minn. Senate legal fight grows". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. January 12, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
  33. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090102/pl_politico/17005;_ylt=AkIc.JyLX7H8IPB6WAprup6yFz4D
  34. ^ http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/38890229.htmlelr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU
  35. ^ Fecke, Jeff (2009-01-22). "As Recount Drags On, Coleman Takes a New Job". The Alexandria Independent. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  36. ^ http://www.startribune.com/local/42932907.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU1yDEmP:QMDCinchO7DU
  37. ^ http://www.asktheussenators.com/-senator~75/Norm+Coleman.html?op=profile&id=75&st=0
  38. ^ Star Tribune, 19 December 1996, "Republicans welcome Coleman; Kemp, Carlson hail mayor's defection"
  39. ^ St. Paul Pioneer Press, 18 December 1996, "Norm Coleman Leaving DFL; Gleeful Republicans Prepare a Welcome"
  40. ^ a b Star Tribune, 18 December 1996, "Coleman to leave DFL: Kemp, Carlson to welcome St. Paul mayor" Cite error: The named reference "pro" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  41. ^ Coleman could get boost from Bush in Senate bid — Minnesota Public Radio 2/11/02
  42. ^ "The Centrists", National Journal, 3 March 2007
  43. ^ GovTrack: Norm Coleman
  44. ^ http://www.startribune.com/politics/28297749.html
  45. ^ a b "Leading with the Left". Progressive Punch. Retrieved 2006-11-02.
  46. ^ a b "Congressional Voting Scorecard 2005" (pdf). SBE Council’s Congressional Voting Scorecard 2005. Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-02. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  47. ^ [1]
  48. ^ Senator Coleman breaks promise on oil drilling — Minnesota Sierra Club 12/21/05
  49. ^ Coleman votes in favor of debating ANWR provision in defense bill — KARE News 12/21/05
  50. ^ On the Concurrent Resolution (S. Con. Res. 74 ) senate role call
  51. ^ STATEMENT BY SEN. NORM COLEMAN: SENATE CLOTURE VOTE ON DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL — Norm Coleman website 12/21/05
  52. ^ ANWR STRIPPED FROM DEFENSE BILL BY 48-45 VOTE — Norm Coleman website 12/21/05
  53. ^ Coleman Votes Against Filibuster Of ANWR — cco.com 12/21/05
  54. ^ http://capwiz.com/lcv_stage/bio/keyvotes/?id=130476&congress=1102&lvl=C
  55. ^ http://mnvotercenter.org/news.cfm
  56. ^ Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 vote record 7/18/06
  57. ^ "Coleman To Vote Against Stem Cell Bill". Associated Press. 2006-07-12.
  58. ^ [2] Republicanmainstreet.org
  59. ^ Timeline: Terri Schiavo case &mdsash; BBC News updated Thursday, 31 March, 2005
  60. ^ COLEMAN COMMENDS BIPARTISAN SENATE EFFORT TO SAVE TERRI SCHIAVO — Norm Coleman official website 3/20/05
  61. ^ Congress passes Schiavo measure — Washington Post 21 March, 2005
  62. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-07-12-colman_x.htm
  63. ^ On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to the Consideration of S. J. Res. 1 ) vote record 6/7/06
  64. ^ City Pages
  65. ^ All the people should be equal under the law — Star Tribune, 5/4/94
  66. ^ Family Research Report -Mar-Apr 2002
  67. ^ NORML's open letter to Sen. Norm Coleman — celebstoner
  68. ^ http://www.minnesotamonitor.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2013
  69. ^ Campaign 2002 — Minnesota Public Radio
  70. ^ Penny, Coleman, Bly eye finish line — Manitou Messenger Online, 11/1/02
  71. ^ When the Cutting Is Corrupted — Washington Post 12/27/05
  72. ^ http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/03/14/minn_rep_calls_for_new_white_house_team/ Minn. Rep calls for new White House team
  73. ^ Key GOP senator opposes Bush's Iraq plan — CNN 01/22/07
  74. ^ COLEMAN FEELING HEAT ON CAFTA — The Hill 4/27/05
  75. ^ SUGAR DADDY NO MORE — City Pages 7/27/05
  76. ^ CAFTA HAS LITTLE SUPPORT AMONG MINNESOTA LAWMAKERS — Kare11 5/9/05
  77. ^ Bush Signs Trade Accord with Central America, Dominican Republic usinfo.state.gov 8/2/05
  78. ^ COLEMAN JOINS BIPARTISAN MAJORITY IN PASSING CAFTA AFTER BROKERING AGREEMENT TO FULLY PROTECT U.S. SUGAR INDUSTRY — Norm Coleman website 6/30/05
  79. ^ Norm Coleman on Social Security — On The Issues 2003
  80. ^ Wary Words On Social Security — Washington Post 5/10/02
  81. ^ PROJECT ON SOCIAL SECURITY PRIVATIZATION — CATO Institute
  82. ^ SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM — Norm Coleman website Feb 2005
  83. ^ Galloway tongue-lashes Coleman; committee documents show Bush political friends and family paid Oil-for-Food kickbacks to Saddam Hussein — Online Journal 5/21/05
  84. ^ Media react to blistering hearing — BBC News 5/17/05
  85. ^ Inquiry into certain Australian companies in relation to the UN Oil-For-Food Programme — Australian Attorney General's Department 11/10/05
  86. ^ Revealed: ambassador tried to kill US hunt for AWB bribes. Sydney Morning Herald. 1 February, 2006.
  87. ^ New York Times 2/11/06 (requires login)
  88. ^ Report Blasts Gov’t Failures and ‘Fecklessness’ Before and After Katrina blackamericaweb.com 2/13/06
  89. ^ Following the Brown testimony on Katrina = USA Today Online Feb 2006
  90. ^ Self-righteous scapegoat — Chicago Tribue 2/10/06
  91. ^ Ex-FEMA Head Blames Bosses for Shortfalls — The Ledger 2/11/06
  92. ^ Senate Bill 754 — The Defense Travel Simplification Act of 2007
  93. ^ Defense Travel System
  94. ^ A $5 Billion Earmark? — ElephantBiz.com 7/12/07
  95. ^ *Text of Petition
  96. ^ *Text of Petition
  97. ^ *Harpers article
  98. ^ *MNblue article
  99. ^ "General Election Results" (PDF). Minnesota Secretary of State. 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  100. ^ "Signing Off On A 225 Vote Franken Lead (webcast of Canvassing Board Meeting)". The Uptake. 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  101. ^ "2002 election Results". Minnesota Secretary of State. 2003-05-23.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of St. Paul
1994 – 2002
Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 2) from Minnesota
2003–2009
Served alongside: Mark Dayton, Amy Klobuchar
Succeeded by