The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

p> MINNESOTA'S LOSS br> According to GOP sources, many inside the Republican National Committee had come to see the Minnesota Senate seat held by the late Paul Wellstone as unwinnable in the final weeks leading up to November 5. "The tracking polls showed Wellstone inching ahead, beyond the margin of error deadlock he had been locked into with Coleman," says an RNC pollster. "Things could have trended back down for him, but Wellstone seemed to have found his footing." /p>

Republican Senate candidate Norm Coleman didn't perform well in the two candidates' last debate, and his campaign seemed to be running out of gas. The two men had been stuck in a virtual dead heat for several weeks in late summer and early September.

Wellstone had seen a surge in campaign contributions and appeared on his way to winning a third term, despite vowing to Minnesota voters he would serve only two terms. A year ago, as the RNC sized up the 2002 races, Wellstone was viewed as the most beatable Democrat in the Senate. It's a testament to his oft-underestimated political skills that he emerged two weeks before the election as seemingly unbeatable.

p> POWER GRAB br> Walter Mondale appears on the verge of committing to run in place of Paul Wellstone in the Minnesota Senate race. As of early Sunday morning, after speaking with just about every major senior Democratic Party official, the former vice president seemed more open to running -- and probably winning -- the seat.

topics:
Bill Clinton, NATO