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CNN Live At Daybreak
Closer Look at Senate Battleground Going on in Minnesota
Aired November 05, 2002 - 05:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: With the balance of power at stake in the Senate, we begin our coverage of today's election, with the hottest races. In Minnesota, Walter Mondale has ended his five day campaign in a dead heat with Republican Norm Coleman. And in South Dakota, White House picked candidate John Thune is threatening to take Senator Tim Johnson's seat. In Missouri, a new poll says that Democratic incumbent Jean Carnahan and Republican challenger Jim Talent are deadlocked, six percent of the voters there undecided. And to Arkansas, the race between Republican Senator Tim Hutchinson and state Attorney General Mark Pryor is even. And stormy weather, as we heard from Chad, could have an effect there in Louisiana, where Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu is favored over three Republicans. Could be forced into a runoff there. Also in New Hampshire, the race between Democratic Governor Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Congressman John Sununu just a toss up.
And now for a closer look at the Senate battleground going on in Minnesota, here's CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the final hours of this too close to call campaign, Republican Norm Coleman may be focusing on his future, but he's talking about Walter Mondale's past.
NORM, COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA SENATE CANDIDATE: Anybody want to go back to the future of double digit inflation, 18 percent inflation?
UNIDENTIFIED AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No.
COLEMAN: Anybody want to go back to a future when America was weak and not strong and was held hostage by our enemies? Does anybody want to go back to that kind of future?
UNIDENTIFIED AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No.
COLEMAN: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Walt Mondale, thank you so much.
COOPER: The former vice president, flanked by the sons of the late Senator Paul Wellstone, urged supporters to get out the vote.
WALTER MONDALE (D), MINNESOTA SENATE CANDIDATE: Promise me that you'll do everything you can, you'll call everybody you know and you will make certain that every one of them shows up to make a difference for Minnesota tomorrow.
COOPER: Hoping to convince the estimated 10 percent of Minnesotans still undecided, both candidates earlier met in their first and only debate. Separated by a small table, they were far apart on the issues.
Iraq...
MONDALE: We were telling the world we were going to go on our own. That is not strength, Norman. That's weakness.
COLEMAN: What's the best way to get that broad, multi-lateral coalition? And the reality is that 77 senators, 77 senators, a broad bipartisan, both sides of the aisle, said the way to do that is to come together as Americans to show our resolve.
COOPER: Campaign reform.
MONDALE: You have a campaign here that is a poster child for what is wrong in politics. You've taken not thousands, but millions of dollars from the special interests, from a Enrons.
COLEMAN: Mr. Vice President, let me say very, very, very respectfully, when we talk about special interests and support from corporate America, that's been your world. That's the world in which you've lived. That's the world for the last eight years, serving on boards.
COOPER: Overall, the tone was civil. But on abortion the debate got personal.
MONDALE: I believe in choice. I think these issues should be decided by the women and the family. You have been an arbitrary right-to-lifer.
COLEMAN: I would take exception -- I'll use a kind word -- to the description of an arbitrary. My wife and I have had two children who were born, the first son and the last daughter, they died at very young ages. I have a deep and profound respect for the value of life.
COOPER: With only a few hours left before polls open, both sides are still campaigning hard.
(on camera): Norm Coleman will be driving all night long, returning here to St. Paul after dawn to cast his vote. Walter Mondale's supporters say they'll be working all night, as well, trying to get out the vote by dropping off campaign literature on voters' doorsteps throughout the Twin Cities. Minnesota's midnight madness has begun.
Anderson Cooper, CNN, St. Paul, Minnesota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLAWAY: Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has rarely gone with the flow, especially when it comes to politics. The former pro wrestler and Navy SEAL has named Minnesota's state planning director as the state's interim senator. Dean Barkley, a political independent, is Ventura's former campaign manager. Ventura, head of the Independence Party in Minnesota, talked about Barkley's experience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JESSE VENTURA (I), MINNESOTA: My appointee is as qualified to serve the people of Minnesota as any Democrat or Republican. In fact, if you consider life experiences outside of government and politics, my appointee may be better qualified than either of those two major, "major" party candidates. But I guess the term major party doesn't apply anymore, does it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: Barkley replaces the late Senator Paul Wellstone and will serve in a lame duck session of the Senate later this month.
And we will have a live update from Minnesota coming up in the next hour with CNN national correspondent Bob Franken.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 5, 2002 - 05:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: With the balance of power at stake in the Senate, we begin our coverage of today's election, with the hottest races. In Minnesota, Walter Mondale has ended his five day campaign in a dead heat with Republican Norm Coleman. And in South Dakota, White House picked candidate John Thune is threatening to take Senator Tim Johnson's seat. In Missouri, a new poll says that Democratic incumbent Jean Carnahan and Republican challenger Jim Talent are deadlocked, six percent of the voters there undecided. And to Arkansas, the race between Republican Senator Tim Hutchinson and state Attorney General Mark Pryor is even. And stormy weather, as we heard from Chad, could have an effect there in Louisiana, where Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu is favored over three Republicans. Could be forced into a runoff there. Also in New Hampshire, the race between Democratic Governor Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Congressman John Sununu just a toss up.
And now for a closer look at the Senate battleground going on in Minnesota, here's CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the final hours of this too close to call campaign, Republican Norm Coleman may be focusing on his future, but he's talking about Walter Mondale's past.
NORM, COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA SENATE CANDIDATE: Anybody want to go back to the future of double digit inflation, 18 percent inflation?
UNIDENTIFIED AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No.
COLEMAN: Anybody want to go back to a future when America was weak and not strong and was held hostage by our enemies? Does anybody want to go back to that kind of future?
UNIDENTIFIED AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No.
COLEMAN: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Walt Mondale, thank you so much.
COOPER: The former vice president, flanked by the sons of the late Senator Paul Wellstone, urged supporters to get out the vote.
WALTER MONDALE (D), MINNESOTA SENATE CANDIDATE: Promise me that you'll do everything you can, you'll call everybody you know and you will make certain that every one of them shows up to make a difference for Minnesota tomorrow.
COOPER: Hoping to convince the estimated 10 percent of Minnesotans still undecided, both candidates earlier met in their first and only debate. Separated by a small table, they were far apart on the issues.
Iraq...
MONDALE: We were telling the world we were going to go on our own. That is not strength, Norman. That's weakness.
COLEMAN: What's the best way to get that broad, multi-lateral coalition? And the reality is that 77 senators, 77 senators, a broad bipartisan, both sides of the aisle, said the way to do that is to come together as Americans to show our resolve.
COOPER: Campaign reform.
MONDALE: You have a campaign here that is a poster child for what is wrong in politics. You've taken not thousands, but millions of dollars from the special interests, from a Enrons.
COLEMAN: Mr. Vice President, let me say very, very, very respectfully, when we talk about special interests and support from corporate America, that's been your world. That's the world in which you've lived. That's the world for the last eight years, serving on boards.
COOPER: Overall, the tone was civil. But on abortion the debate got personal.
MONDALE: I believe in choice. I think these issues should be decided by the women and the family. You have been an arbitrary right-to-lifer.
COLEMAN: I would take exception -- I'll use a kind word -- to the description of an arbitrary. My wife and I have had two children who were born, the first son and the last daughter, they died at very young ages. I have a deep and profound respect for the value of life.
COOPER: With only a few hours left before polls open, both sides are still campaigning hard.
(on camera): Norm Coleman will be driving all night long, returning here to St. Paul after dawn to cast his vote. Walter Mondale's supporters say they'll be working all night, as well, trying to get out the vote by dropping off campaign literature on voters' doorsteps throughout the Twin Cities. Minnesota's midnight madness has begun.
Anderson Cooper, CNN, St. Paul, Minnesota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLAWAY: Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has rarely gone with the flow, especially when it comes to politics. The former pro wrestler and Navy SEAL has named Minnesota's state planning director as the state's interim senator. Dean Barkley, a political independent, is Ventura's former campaign manager. Ventura, head of the Independence Party in Minnesota, talked about Barkley's experience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JESSE VENTURA (I), MINNESOTA: My appointee is as qualified to serve the people of Minnesota as any Democrat or Republican. In fact, if you consider life experiences outside of government and politics, my appointee may be better qualified than either of those two major, "major" party candidates. But I guess the term major party doesn't apply anymore, does it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: Barkley replaces the late Senator Paul Wellstone and will serve in a lame duck session of the Senate later this month.
And we will have a live update from Minnesota coming up in the next hour with CNN national correspondent Bob Franken.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
