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American Morning
Senate Race Between Walter Mondale, Norm Coleman Little More Than a Day Old
Aired November 01, 2002 - 07:21 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR:. Well, the Senate race between Walter Mondale and Norm Coleman is a little more than a day old, but the Minnesota candidates aren't even wasting a moment now joining the battle. We're going to take a close look now at this pivotal race in which age is becoming a key issue.
And Bob Franken joins us now live from Minneapolis for the latest on all this -- good morning, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT:. Good morning, Leon.
A little over a day old, isn't it amazing how time flies in a political campaign? The fact of the matter is is that Walter Mondale's entry into this race has an element of back to the future involved in it. It's like we've gone back in time, suddenly standing there and watching Walter Mondale campaign for the same issues that he has championed just about since the bombing of his political career, falling in, of course, in place of Paul Wellstone, who died in an airplane crash just a week ago.
So much has happened and now Walter Mondale, who hasn't run for office since 1984, is running again.
But Norman Coleman, his Republican opponent, says that the future is not something you go back to, it is something you move forward to, and that Coleman who, at 53, is 21 years younger than Mondale, is the candidate of the future. The Republicans, who go in with a bit of a disadvantage after all of this, are giving nothing up. Coleman is out there aggressively campaigning, as is Mondale, by the way. They still haven't set up a debate, although they're still negotiating.
As far as Coleman is concerned, he's going to have some real Republican heavyweight in until the end of the campaign, just about. Vice President Dick Cheney, who, of course, was asked not to come to the Paul Wellstone memorial earlier in the week, will be in the state today. He'll be campaigning for Norm Coleman. Tomorrow, First Lady Laura Bush will be in the state. She'll be campaigning, something she doesn't do all that often on her own. And then on Sunday her husband, President Bush, will also be in the state, also campaigning for Norm Coleman.
So the Republicans are pushing very hard.
As far as the Democrats are concerned, the Senate majority leader, who hopes to stay majority leader, Tom Daschle, says that if Mondale is elected, then he would become part of the inner circle of the Senate.
So the parties both see the high stakes here. Both are putting on a fight that could go down to the finish on Tuesday. But, of course, it will only have been a six day campaign -- Leon.
HARRIS:. All right, Bob Franken, thanks much for checking in with us this morning.
Bob Franken calling in live from Minnesota this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
More Than a Day Old>
Aired November 1, 2002 - 07:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR:. Well, the Senate race between Walter Mondale and Norm Coleman is a little more than a day old, but the Minnesota candidates aren't even wasting a moment now joining the battle. We're going to take a close look now at this pivotal race in which age is becoming a key issue.
And Bob Franken joins us now live from Minneapolis for the latest on all this -- good morning, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT:. Good morning, Leon.
A little over a day old, isn't it amazing how time flies in a political campaign? The fact of the matter is is that Walter Mondale's entry into this race has an element of back to the future involved in it. It's like we've gone back in time, suddenly standing there and watching Walter Mondale campaign for the same issues that he has championed just about since the bombing of his political career, falling in, of course, in place of Paul Wellstone, who died in an airplane crash just a week ago.
So much has happened and now Walter Mondale, who hasn't run for office since 1984, is running again.
But Norman Coleman, his Republican opponent, says that the future is not something you go back to, it is something you move forward to, and that Coleman who, at 53, is 21 years younger than Mondale, is the candidate of the future. The Republicans, who go in with a bit of a disadvantage after all of this, are giving nothing up. Coleman is out there aggressively campaigning, as is Mondale, by the way. They still haven't set up a debate, although they're still negotiating.
As far as Coleman is concerned, he's going to have some real Republican heavyweight in until the end of the campaign, just about. Vice President Dick Cheney, who, of course, was asked not to come to the Paul Wellstone memorial earlier in the week, will be in the state today. He'll be campaigning for Norm Coleman. Tomorrow, First Lady Laura Bush will be in the state. She'll be campaigning, something she doesn't do all that often on her own. And then on Sunday her husband, President Bush, will also be in the state, also campaigning for Norm Coleman.
So the Republicans are pushing very hard.
As far as the Democrats are concerned, the Senate majority leader, who hopes to stay majority leader, Tom Daschle, says that if Mondale is elected, then he would become part of the inner circle of the Senate.
So the parties both see the high stakes here. Both are putting on a fight that could go down to the finish on Tuesday. But, of course, it will only have been a six day campaign -- Leon.
HARRIS:. All right, Bob Franken, thanks much for checking in with us this morning.
Bob Franken calling in live from Minnesota this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
More Than a Day Old>
