U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) speaks during a press conference at his campaign headquarters November 5, 2008 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Image by Cory Ryan/Getty Images

By Nathan Guttman December 8, 2017

With an open Senate seat looking likely in Minnesota, a familiar face is remerging.

Norm Coleman, the Republican Jewish senator who narrowly lost his seat to Al Franken in 2008, is now being viewed as a potential candidate for running again and reclaiming his old seat upon Franken’s resignation.

Coleman, who now serves as chairman of the Republican Jewish Committee, told reporters Wednesday that he wasn’t ruling out the idea of running again, according to The Hill.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Another possible candidate being mentioned in Republican circles is former governor Tim Pawlenty.

Franken is expected to announce his resignation on Thursday after a series of women accused him of sexual misconduct. According to Minnesota state law, Franken’s resignation would spur a November 2018 race to fill the last two years of Franken’s term, followed by a normal Senate race in 2020.

While Minnesota is seen as a blue state, it only narrowly went Democratic in 2016, with residents voting for Hillary Clinton 46.4% to Donald Trump’s 44.9%.

Coleman, who lost to Franken in a tight race which led to a lengthy recount, has recently argued that had news of Franken’s sexual misconduct floated during the 2008 campaign, it could have tipped the race in Coleman’s favor. “You’ve got to believe that photo is worth more than 312 votes,” Coleman said referring to the margin of votes that cost him his seat.

Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com or on Twitter @nathanguttman

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount