Let me first say that I was a big fan of Mark Dayton and that he represented what was good and decent in politics. He was one of the few Senators that I was convinced wasn't in for his own ego. His integrity will be missed in the Senate.
That said, a good man like Dayton needs a good replacement to carry on the fight, our fight, for a better America.
So, that said, lets take a good look at who's available and interested.
Here's an article from MPR as an introduction to the race: http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/02/09_ap_postdayton/
There have been dozens of names mentioned for the DFL nomination, and I'm going to cover five of them: Mike Ciresi, Amy Klobuchar, Dean Johnson, Bill Luther, and Patty Wetterling.
I also have to say that I don't think the DFL field is as weak as everyone has claimed. I also don't buy the Republican meme that Mark Kennedy is the greatest thing since sliced bread. He only narrowly beat a political neophite to hold onto his seat in 2004, and his speaking ability is only marginally above that of Dayton's. From the few times I've seen him on TV, he doesn't have the charisma that Coleman (his is fake) or Wellstone (his was real) had. I'd rate the race as a tossup (maybe leans slightly to the DFL).
Mike Ciresi Attorney, 2000 Candidate for Senate, Minneapolis
Mike Ciresi, like Dayton, ran in the DFL primary to challenge incumbent Republican Rod Grams. Some folks say that had he entered the primary earlier, he would have probably won (he was rapidly closing the gap between himself and Dayton).
Like John Edwards, he is a trial lawyer, but apparently one who has picked the right kind of fights. In addition, like Edwards, he is very wealthy and can probably do quite a bit of self funding for the race.
Ciresi is well known in Minnesota for being the attorney who took on big tobacco and won hundreds of millions of dollars for the state. He's also the man who represented India in their case against Union Carbide for the Bhopal incident. He also was involved in the IUD case which made women infertile and was driven by a desire to try to help them get compensation.
He's clearly a guy who brings credibility to the table when he rails against corporate negligence and indifference, and if we're going to run on economic issues, that could be a huge plus.
On the other hand, he is a trial lawyer, and you know that Mark Kennedy is going to attack him as such. The other issue is that like Dayton, Ciresi will be a heavy self-funder and would probably have to find a long term funding base (as Dayton has found out, the money eventually runs out).
Here's one of Ciresi's commercials from the 2000 Primary (scroll down to bottom and look for 'Fish House':
http://www.northwoodsadvertising.com/our_work/portfolio/tv_reel.html
MPR Candidate Profile:http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200008/14_mccalluml_ciresi/
Amy Klobuchar Hennepin County Attorney, Minneapolis
Klobuchar is considered among many to be the DFL's shooting star. She's the attorney for Hennepin County, which encompasses Minneapolis. Before Dayton withdrew from the race, her next stop was probably going to be the State AG's office which will be vacated by Mike Hatch (who is almost surely running for Governor against Pawlenty).
She has been networking heavily among the grassroots and has contacts in every part of the state, which is a huge advantage in the DFL's Convention system (which shot Paul Wellstone into the Senate).
She's also a woman, and that could help her draw votes in a crowded DFL primary. On the other hand, Kennedy will almost certainly label her as a 'Twin Cities Liberal' in the general.
Here's a link to a segment from Minnesota's Public Television's excellent public affairs program program 'Almanac' (click on the 'A Political Panel' for the relevant segment):
http://www.ktca.org/almanac/show-1/index.shtml
Dean Johnson State Senate Majority Leader, Willmar
Dean Johnson is the anti-Norm Coleman. In 2000, he left the Republican party and joined the DFL. He hails from a Central Minnesota State Senate District, and has been a constant pain in the ass for Tim Pawlenty.
He's been widely credited for restoring unity in the DFL Senate caucus since he's taken over eraly last year. He's working very hard to make Pawlenty eat his 'no tax raises' pledge.
Admittedly, Johnson's resume doesn't give the Republicans much to work with. He's an ordained Lutheran minister, so that will make it difficult for the religious right to attack him on values issues. He's also a General in the National Guard and has attended the Army War College, so it will be difficult to call him weak on defense issues. Also, being from outsate Minnesota, it will be difficult to pin the 'Twin Cities liberal' label on him.
However, he is pro-life, and that will make it difficult for him to get through a DFL primary. In afirness, he has treated the issue in a very even handed way, and objected to some irregular parlimentary maneuvers to bring an anti-abortion bill to the floor.
The good news is that he is pro-gay rights, is deeply concerned with the Republican/religious alliance, and has fought Pawlenty's proposed cuts in human services and health care.
Here's an MPR article on his party switch:
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200001/12_mccalluml_deanjohnson/
Bill Luther Former US House Representative (MN-6), Stillwater
Luther used to represent Minnesota's 6th District, however, due to redistricting issues, Luther elected instead to run in the new 2nd District in 2002, where he lost to Republican John Kline in that Republican year.
Luther was known as being one of the House's best fundraisers, which could be a major asset in a race that may require candidates to spend at least $10-15 million each.
On the issues, Luther is generally a populist. He has been described as moderate to liberal and sparred with big business while he was in the House.
Even before Dayton dropped out of the race, Luther was thinking about challenging Dayton in a primary, so he will almost certainly run. His suburban strength could play well for the DFL, which made major gains in the State House based on gains in swing surburban districts. However, the loser label could be hard for Luther to shake.
Here's MPR's 2002 Profile for Luther:
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/campaign2002/luther.shtml
Patty Wetterling Childrens Advocate, 2004 MN-6 DFL Candidate, St. Joseph
Wetterling is dearly beloved across Minnesota for her child advocacy work, which sprang out ofthe abduction of her 11 year old son, Jacob.
In 2004, she challenged Rep. Mark Kennedy of the 6th District and lost 54-46, which is the best any DFLer has ever done in this heavily Republican district.
Due to her high popularity and celebrity, Wetterling is probably better known state wide than any other possible DFL candidate. Also, due to the nature of her background and history, it will be very difficult for the Republicans to run personal attacks against Wetterling without encountering a hugely negative backlash.
Here's Patty's website from the 2004 campaign:
http://www.wetterlingforcongress.com/