Coleman, Proud of His Record, Sees Second Term

Mike O'Rourke

Brainerd Dispatch

 Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., said Thursday that Americans are looking for a light at the end of the tunnel in the Iraq war, but an immediate pull-out or arbitrary deadlines are not the answers.

In a phone interview from Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Coleman said his track record of helping Minnesotans would help him win a second term despite certain advantages the Democrats enjoy this year. He said he's confident he'll be re-elected to a second term and he might have been facing an uphill battle if he wasn't running against Al Franken, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

"I've got 30 years of producing for Minnesota," Coleman said, citing his efforts for rural hospitals and other issues. "I'm running against a guy, who in the last 30 years ... His path has been one of being a critic. I'm out there fighting for low-income heating assistance.