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Former Sen. Mark Dayton has filed papers to run for governor in 2010. The Democrat on Friday said he won't make a formal public announcement about his campaign until spring. For now, Dayton has registered with the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Dayton, a multimillionaire who self-funded his 2000 campaign for the Senate, did not seek re-election in 2006. Others who have filed with the board are Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, state Sen. Tom Bakk (bock), state Rep. Paul Thissen (TEE'-sen), state Sen. John Marty and frequent candidate Ole Savior. Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty has said he will...

Democrat Mark Dayton, stepping down after six years in the U.S. Senate, announced today that he is considering a run for Minnesota governor in 2010. Dayton, speaking to reporters during the last minutes of his Senate tenure, said the defeat of fellow DFLer Mike Hatch for governor in November prompted him to consider his own candidacy in four years. "It's very tentative," Dayton said. "It's a decision I wouldn't make for a few years." He added that so far he has consulted only with a few close friends and family members. He declined to place odds on the likelihood of...

Delivering his farewell address today, Sen. Mark Dayton said he was leaving Capitol Hill "with strong feelings of frustration and disappointment," but he thanked his colleagues and the people of Minnesota for giving him the chance to serve six years in the Senate. "I have been unable to pass most of what I believed was most important to Minnesota, to our country and to the world," Dayton, D-Minn., said in his final speech on the Senate floor. "I remain convinced that those policies would improve the lives of most Americans far better than what the Majority here enacted." He lamented...

...Time spoke to dozens of academics, political scientists and current and former Senators...

Minnesota Sen. Mark Dayton Thursday strongly criticized fellow Democrat Russ Feingold's resolution to censure President Bush over domestic spying. "It's an overreaching step by someone who is grandstanding and running for president at the expense of his own party and his own country," Dayton said of Feingold, a Wisconsin senator and potential 2008 presidential candidate. "I think it's a very dangerous territory for the democracy that we have in this country to be playing around with those kinds of resolutions, without any consultations from his colleagues. I think it was irresponsible." Dayton is a member of Feingold's own party from...

Sen. Mark Dayton apologized Tuesday to Sen. John Thune and the people of South Dakota after telling Fortune magazine that Rochester's Mayo Clinic "is worth a hell of a lot more than the whole state of South Dakota." Dayton, D-Minn., was addressing Thune's role in expanding a federal loan program that would allow the South Dakota-based Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad to apply for a $2.5 billion loan for an upgrade project. The Mayo Clinic opposes that project, which runs through Rochester. Thune, R-S.D., who lobbied for the railroad while campaigning for the Senate in 2004, condemned the comments Tuesday,...

WASHINGTON - In November, when the Senate accepted his plan to force executives to pay higher taxes for using company planes, a surprised Sen. Mark Dayton called it his "going-away present." Weeks later, he scored again when the Senate approved his plan to spend $50 million on child care for military families. But as a Democrat beginning his final year in the Senate, Dayton can claim few legislative victories, and he acknowledges that he's getting impatient. Minnesota's senior senator calls Washington a "cesspool" of special interests, where big money trumps the interests of average people. And Dayton wants out. <...

U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton announced Friday that he would vote against confirming John Roberts as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, but he predicted that the Senate will approve the appointment next week by a vote of about 70 to 30. At a State Capitol news conference, Dayton, a DFLer who is not seeking reelection in 2006, listed three reasons for his decision: •Roberts' refusal to answer even basic questions about his judicial philosophy and social views in Senate hearings. •The White House's refusal to release information on Roberts' record as a deputy solicitor general under President George H.W....

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In what peace activists call a milestone, Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., introduced legislation Thursday supporting a long-shot citizen lobbying effort to create a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

WASHINGTON — Ask Sen. Mark Dayton, a former anti-Vietnam War activist who knows a thing or two about protests, why he believes that burning the American flag should be against the law, and the Minnesota Democrat answers with an anecdote about a visit 10 years ago to the site of the Allies' historic 1944 D-Day invasion in Normandy, France. "I stood in the American cemetery just off the beach, where there are 10,000 white crosses all in rows," Dayton said during an interview last week. "The power of the silence there is very profound. I stood on the beach there...

A reader to the site Ankle Biting Pundits wrote an open letter to all senators asking them to censure Dick Durbin, or at least end their silence on the matter. This is the letter he received from Senator Mark Dayton of Minnesota, his home-state Senator.Dear NAME WITHHELD: Thank you for contacting me about the United States' policies regarding torture. As an American, a United States Senator, and a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, I am deeply disturbed by the atrocities committed against detainees in American custody. I believe strongly in the commitment made by the United States...

ST. PAUL (AP) - DFLer Patty Wetterling has sent a fund-raising letter to supporters that says she needs help to make her dream of becoming a U.S. Senator a reality. Party chairman Mike Erlandson told KSTP-TV that the letter was clearly an early indication that Wetterling is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Mark Dayton, who has announced he will not run for re-election next year. Erlandson said it's too early to call Wetterling the favorite for the DFL nomination. Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar also said she's moving ahead with fund-raising for a Senate bid. She...

''I believe that if we trust people and make sure government helps them and doesn't hinder them in achieving their aims, that great things can happen,'' he said.

Dayton: Polls, Politics Factors in Choice 1 hour, 9 minutes ago By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Sen. Mark Dayton (news, bio, voting record) said Friday his low poll numbers and an expectation of harsh political attacks were factors in his decision not to seek re-election next year. "I certainly was not looking forward to the likelihood that on November 7, 2006, 99 percent of the people of Minnesota would think less well of me than they do now," Dayton said in an interview with The Associated Press. "There's no question the Republican strategy is to destroy...

WATERTOWN — In a city park in his hometown, U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy today declared he is officially in the race for U.S. Senate in 2006. "I'm here to announce my candidacy for the United States Senate…I know the great things that can happen if we trust the people and make sure government helps rather than hinders them as they pursue their dreams,'' Kennedy said, making it official one of the worst-kept secrets in Minnesota politics. Voicing many of the same messages he has in his three congressional races, Kennedy said, "I'm the kind of guy who was taught that...

Al Franken's big mouth has gotten him into trouble once again, and placed him in the delicious position of looking like an even bigger blow-hard than usual...

After much fanfare and radio hoopla, comedian and talk-radio host Al Franken announced on the air today that he will not run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Mark Dayton next year, saying he was committed to his radio show for two more years. ``I believe in honoring my commitments,'' Franken said. ``I agreed to do two more years on Air America radio.'' Franken, a veteran of ``Saturday Night Live,'' was born in New York City and lives there now, but grew up in the suburbs of Minneapolis. "I am not running for Senate in 2006. Minnesotans are...

WASHINGTON - Just one day after U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton decided not to run for a second term, comedian Al Franken may be throwing his hat into the ring. Last year, Franken said he wanted to run for the Senate in 2008. But last night he told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that he is now considering his candidacy for next year. Franken, a Minnesota native, plans to make an announcement live on his national radio show in Washington D.C. this morning. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS will be in the studio with Franken for that announcement. Meanwhile, former U.S. Sen Rod Grams, who...

c By Dana Milbank and Charles Babington Thursday, February 10, 2005; Page A05 Exit the department-store heir. Enter the Purple People Eater? Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.), facing ominous poll numbers and circling challengers, announced yesterday that he will not seek reelection to a second term in 2006. "I do not believe that I am the best candidate to lead the DFL Party to victory next year," Dayton said in his candid statement. (DFL stands for Democratic-Farmer-Labor, the state's version of the Democrats.) Republicans hailed the announcement as a chance for the GOP to widen its majority in the Senate. "It's...

(CBS/AP) Sen. Mark Dayton said Wednesday he won't seek a second term next year, saying he doesn't believe he's the best candidate for Democrats because of his distaste for fundraising. "I do not believe I am the right person to lead the Democratic Party in Minnesota," Dayton said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday. "I cannot stand to deal with the constant fundraising necessary" to run a successful campaign, Dayton said. "I choose to devote all of my time and energy to the job that Minnesotans elected me to do," he said. Dayton has been widely seen as vulnerable....

Minnesota Sen. Mark Dayton, a first-term Democrat atop the Republicans' 2006 target list, said Wednesday his party could field a stronger candidate and that he would not run for re-election. "I do not believe that I am the best candidate to lead the party to victory next year," Dayton told reporters. "I cannot stand to do the constant fund raising necessary to wage a successful campaign, and I cannot be an effective senator while also being a nearly full-time candidate."

Wow, if this is true Minnesota is gonna be a huge free for all in '06. Everybody and their brother will run for this seat. The DFL still has a large reservoir of talent even though the GOP has pulled to almost parity in recent elections. Opinions anyone?

Rep. Gil Gutknecht said Thursday he is considering running for U.S. Senate next year, putting his name on a list of potential Republican candidates that already includes fellow Minnesota Rep. Mark Kennedy.

Reader Allen O'Donnell from Wayne, Nebraska has comiled an analyzed the list of Senators voting against the confirmation of Dr. Condoleeza Rice as Secretary of State. It is well worth reading: Senators who voted against confirmation of Dr. Rice for Secretary of State Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. John Kerry, D-Mass. Carl Levin, D-Mich. James Jeffords, I-Vt. Jack Reed, D-R.I Mark Dayton, D-Minn. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii Evan Bayh, D-Ind. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa Richard Durbin, D-Ill For me, the only surprise is Evan Bayh of Indiana. I figured he had his eye on the...

Dayton To Vote Against Rice Jan 19, 2005 9:05 pm US/Central WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Mark Dayton said Wednesday he will vote against Condoleezza Rice's nomination for secretary of state, because he said she "misled" the Senate on Iraq. Dayton, D-Minn., said he knew Rice's confirmation by the Senate was assured. But he said he was casting a "protest vote" against her and others in the Bush administration "who seriously misled the country throughout those months about the facts as they knew them in Iraq." Dayton cited Rice's statements, prior to the Senate vote in 2002 to authorize an invasion of...

COLORADO SPRINGS - James C. Dobson, the nation's most influential evangelical leader, is threatening to put six potentially vulnerable Democratic senators "in the 'bull's-eye' " if they block conservative appointments to the Supreme Court. In a letter his aides say is being sent to more than one million of his supporters, Dr. Dobson, the child psychologist and founder of the evangelical organization Focus on the Family, promises "a battle of enormous proportions from sea to shining sea" if President Bush fails to appoint "strict constructionist" jurists or if Democrats filibuster to block conservative nominees. Dr. Dobson recalled the conservative efforts...

U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., will depart this week for Iraq, Israel and Jordan on an official congressional visit, his office announced Monday. For security reasons, Dayton's itinerary was not released, but he said he plans to visit U.S. forces in Iraq, to assess progress in training Iraqi troops, to discuss the upcoming Iraqi elections in January and to inquire about when U.S. forces can return home. He also intends to seek out Minnesota units that have been deployed, aides said.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sen. Mark Dayton wants to make a return trip to Iraq, but his request has been denied, the Minnesota Democrat said Wednesday. Dayton speculated that his request was denied by the Senate Armed Services Committee because he has criticized President Bush's handling of the war and because he's up for reelection in 2006. "Either one of those reasons is absolutely wrong, and unjust and unwarranted, and I regret very much the committee's decision," he said in a conference call with reporters. Dayton, a member of the committee, called the decision "grotesquely unfair" and said committee members with...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Mark Dayton claimed Wednesday that Republicans left him off a fact-finding trip to Iraq because of partisan politics. Dayton, D-Minn., said he suspected he was left off the Senate Armed Services Committee trip either because Republicans were targeting him for defeat in 2006, or because of his opposition to the war in Iraq.

When Mark Kennedy looks back on 2004, he will have to admit that it wasn't dull. The Republican congressman from Watertown played a bit part (albeit unwillingly) in what was perhaps the year's most controversial motion picture, Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11." He skillfully turned back an electoral challenge by one of Minnesota's most admired citizens, Patty Wetterling. And in the process, he cleared a major hurdle toward becoming the Republicans' odds-on favorite to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton in 2006.

...[Kerry] and other nouveau antiwarriors... have quickly seized on the conclusion that there are no WMDs in Iraq from the 1,000-page postmortem completed last month for the CIA by Charles Duelfer.... [W]hile Saddam was playing hide-and-seek with the U.N. over whether he had WMDs, his stealthy little spooks were focusing their efforts on weapons specifically designed for use by terrorists. Could it thus be said that Saddam was himself plotting foreign terrorism? Or at least that his secret service had something going along those lines while he was busy corrupting the U.N. oil-for-food program and bribing French and Russian politicians...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate's most senior member on Thursday defended Sen. Mark Dayton's decision to close his Washington office over concerns about a terrorist attack. "Senator Dayton took this precautionary step based on his conscience and his responsibility to his staff," said Sen. Robert Byrd, an eight-term Democratic senator from West Virginia. "I commend him." Byrd, 86, said in a statement that law enforcement and intelligence experts have warned senators about increased threats to the Capitol in recent weeks. "They have urged senators to be prepared to have their staffs work from alternate locations," Byrd said. "Senators ought not take...

Sen. Mark Dayton is being mocked back home for closing his Capitol Hill office because of his professed fear of a terrorist strike, with his state's largest newspaper calling him a "Cassandra," a "flake" and a "little chicken."     The Minnesota Democrat's action has "been the talk of talk radio around here," said Randy Wanke, communications director for the Minnesota Republican Party.     A frequent topic on the airwaves last month was the senator's boycott of Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's address to Congress. Republicans say Mr. Dayton is merely living up to his 90 percent lifetime rating by the liberal...

In a worst-case scenario quietly presented last month by a joint CIA-FBI agency that analyzes intelligence, al Qaeda would use weapons of mass destruction to launch multiple simultaneous attacks on the United States and overwhelm the U.S. government. It was an extreme possibility on a menu of unknowns that had less-threatening options. All 535 members of Congress continued to work as usual until this week, when Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.) shut his offices, sent his staff home and cautioned people against visiting Capitol Hill. The surprising response by the freshman senator from Minnesota to the latest in a series of...

The senator who snubbed Prime Minister Allawi is now in vacating the premises. Elvis has left the building.

Republicans accused Mr. Dayton of "caving in" to terrorists, while Democratic congressional leaders had no comment yesterday. Mrs. Norton accused Mr. Dayton of fear-mongering.     The senator's decision to close his office in the Russell Senate Office Building leaves an "unmistakable impression that security at the Capitol is so inadequate that self-help by members [of Congress] is necessary and that others should stay away," Mrs. Norton said in a statement yesterday.     "We have an obligation to avoid creating an atmosphere of fear among residents and visitors," the District's Democratic delegate said.     Mr. Dayton, who has been an outspoken critic of the...

BWAAAAAAAAAAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!

Sen. Mark Dayton said Tuesday he is closing his Washington office because of a classified intelligence report that made him fear for the safety of his staff. Dayton, D-Minn., said the office will be closed while Congress is in recess through Election Day, with his staff working out of his Minnesota office and in Senate space off Capitol Hill. "I take this step out of extreme, but necessary, precaution to protect the lives and safety of my Senate staff and my Minnesota constituents, who might otherwise be visiting my Senate office in the next three weeks," he said on a...

(CNSNews.com) - Fearing a terrorist attack in Washington, D.C., over the next few weeks, U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, a Minnesota Democrat, has closed his Capitol Hill office through Election Day. "I take this step out of extreme but necessary precaution to protect the lives and safety of my Senate staff and my Minnesota constituents, who might otherwise be visiting my Senate office in the next three weeks," Dayton said in a statement issued Tuesday. "I feel compelled to do so because I will not be here in Washington to share what I consider to be an unacceptably greater risk...

WASHINGTON - A Democratic senator said Tuesday he is closing his Washington office because of a top-secret intelligence report that made him fear for his staff's safety. Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., said his office in the Russell Senate Office Building across the street from the Capitol will be closed while Congress is in recess through Election Day, with his staff working out of his Minnesota office and in Senate space off Capitol Hill. "I take this step out of extreme, but necessary, precaution to protect the lives and safety of my Senate staff and my Minnesota constituents, who might otherwise...

WASHINGTON-- Sen. Mark Dayton said Tuesday he is closing his Washington office because of a classified intelligence report which made him fear for the safety of his staff. Dayton, D-Minn., said the office will be closed while Congress is in recess through Election Day, with his staff working out of his Minnesota office and in Senate space off Capitol Hill. ``I take this step out of extreme, but necessary, precaution to protect the lives and safety of my Senate staff and my Minnesota constituents, who might otherwise be visiting my Senate office in the next three weeks,'' he said on...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., plans to boycott Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's appearance before Congress today. Dayton described the speech as "a production" staged by the Bush administration and said that Allawi "ought to be over there running his country." Dayton made the remarks in a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

(CNSNews.com) - Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee Friday that he called CBS' "60 Minutes" to ask them to delay the broadcast of photos depicting the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of U.S. soldiers, because airing the photos would put U.S. soldiers in Iraq at risk. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld disputed Sen. Mark Dayton's (D-Minn.) contention that Myers tried to suppress the news report. "Suppress is not the right word at all. It's an inaccurate word, I should say," Rumsfeld said. When asked by Dayton whether it...

I was watching the hearings on Iraq Prison situation... Sen. Dayton accused Gen Meyers of "SUPRESSING" the media, and engaging in some sort of cover up in order to mislead the American People and the Congress..... This is a ridiculous charge and should not come without consequenses.... Sen Dayton is suggesting that congress gets their information from the media, and that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff has attempted to "SUPRESS" the evidence in some sort of illegal cover up scandal... I am appaled by this and we should ALL call/FAX/WRITE and let him know that he crossed...

ST. PAUL - A top U.S. Department of Education official's personal pitch for the No Child Left Behind law failed Tuesday to keep a Minnesota Senate committee from endorsing a bill that could halt its implementation here. Kenneth Meyer, the deputy assistant secretary of education, was one of three federal department officials who kept watch as the Senate K-12 Education Budget Committee discussed opting out of the law even if it means forfeiting $200 million a year in federal money. No Child Left Behind "is part of an evolution, not a revolution," Meyer said, adding that "there's much more flexibility...

(CNSNews.com) - A group of pastors from all denominations are calling on a Minnesota senator to apologize for remarks he made against Christians seeking to protect traditional marriage. "We are grieved by your name-calling of those who hold to a traditional view of marriage and we believe you owe the people of Minnesota a public apology for your harsh and intemperate attacks on people seeking to uphold basic Christian beliefs," the pastors wrote in a letter to Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.). The pastors, who are from Lutheran, Catholic, Baptist and Assemblies of God churches were responding to a recent...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Minnesota Sen. Mark Dayton's campaign committee spent most of the $440,000 it raised last year, and the freshman Democrat reached the midpoint of his term with $111,832 in cash, his latest campaign finance report showed. Rep. Mark Kennedy, R-Minn., a possible challenger to Dayton in a 2006 Senate campaign, raised $657,718 in 2003 and ended the year with $458,610 in cash.Lawrence Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political scientist, said Dayton's year-end report to the Federal Election Commission "raises a question . . . about how well equipped he is to run for reelection." "This is the time...

WASHINGTON - Returning from an official trip to Iraq, Sen. Mark Dayton criticized the search for weapons of mass destruction Thursday and said the efforts would be better spent rebuilding the country. "This hunt for weapons of mass destruction looks like the Hunt for Red October," Dayton, D-Minn., said at a Capitol Hill news conference with other senators who visited Iraq. "It's a huge red herring that's distracting" from the main mission of rebuilding the country. Elaborating in an interview later, Dayton said, "I think nonmilitary people over in Iraq looking for stashes should be out hauling trash, rebuilding schools,...

Nine members of the Senate's committees on Armed Services and Intelligence will travel to Iraq and the surrounding region next week to assess U.S. operations amid concerns of growing Iraqi resistance to the occupation. Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican who chairs the Armed Services Committee, in a statement on Thursday, said the trip will focus on U.S. military and reconstruction missions after the war that ousted Saddam Hussein. It is to include the threats forces are facing from Iraqi resistance and the ongoing search for weapons of mass destruction. Also going on the trip are Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The next Minnesota Senate race is more than three years away, but political observers already are focusing on a potential match between incumbent Democrat Mark Dayton and Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy. Fueling the speculation are Kennedy's appearances at several high-profile events outside his district, in addition to attending five of eight GOP district conventions around the state this year. Kennedy, fresh from his defeat of millionaire Janet Roberts in the reconstituted Sixth Congressional District, has raised $250,000 in campaign contributions this year, one of the largest treasuries in the state.