I received an email from
Patty Wetterling's campaign today that seems to indicate that she is in fact running for the senate seat being vacated by Mark Dayton. Patty had announced recently that she was thinking about running, but this email (it's a fundraising one) looks like she's in for sure.
Here's a quick primer for those unfamiliar with Patty Wetterling. In 1989 her 11-year-old son Jacob was abducted by a stranger while on the way home from the video store with his brother and a friend. A man stopped the three kids (they were on bikes and scooters), looked each of them in the face and asked their ages, and took Jacob. He told the other two kids to run away. One of them looked back and Jacob was gone. He has never been seen or heard from since.
Patty Wetterling took this tragedy and turned it into something beneficial - she started the
Jacob Wetterling Foundation, which works to find missing children and educate kids about staying safe. I was 9 years old when Jacob was taken and I have vivid memories of Patty coming to my school a few years later to talk about safety. Over the years, when any Minnesota kid has gone missing, Patty is there holding the parents' hands at press conferences. She was also instrumental in bringing the Amber Alert system to Minnesota. In short, she is an incredible woman and is one of the most beloved public figures in Minnesota.
Patty ran against Mark Kennedy this year in MN-6, a weird conservative district where she came very close (for a first-time candidate) to beating the incumbent. And in a strange turn of events, it looks as though Mark Kennedy will now be the Republican candidate for this Senate seat, making it possible that this will be a rematch if Patty wins the DFL nomination.
Patty's email gives the following quote from the Mellman group:
"Wetterling would begin the race in a stronger position than other potential Democratic candidates. She has the highest favorable rating of any potential candidate on either side of the aisle and is the only candidate who is well known and well liked statewide. She is also the only Democrat who leads among key swing constituencies."
There's also a nifty bar graph showing Patty up 47% to 38% in a hypothetical race with Kennedy.
This is the "celebrity" candidate everyone seems to think we need here in MN. Alan Page will not run and Patty enjoys almost 100% name recognition and extremely high favorable ratings. And what's more, she's learned from her mistakes in the House race.
Patty worked to keep me and my peers safe when I was a little kid. As an adult, I'd love to have her watching out for me in the U.S. Senate. As soon as I get paid tomorrow I'm going to make my first donation to her new campaign.