WASHINGTON — In a series of tweets, former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman announced Thursday night that he won’t seek office in 2014.
Coleman, a Republican, had previously said he wouldn’t seek a rematch against U.S. Sen Al Franken, who narrowly defeated him in 2008. He had left the door open to challenging Gov. Mark Dayton, but said Thursday night that he won’t run for anything next year.
“Public service is an important part of my life. It will remain so even though I will not run for public office in 2014,” he wrote. “[I] want to mentor a new generation of optimistic, limited government focused leaders who aren't afraid to find common ground to solve problems. [I] will focus time and energy helping Minnesota elect Senator &Governor who support free enterprise,efficient govt & seek 2bring folks together”
Coleman is currently the chairman of the American Action Network, a center-right political organization in Washington D.C. The group invested heavily in Minnesota races last cycle, especially the 8th Congressional District race.
Republicans have yet to find a candidate to run against either Dayton or Franken. Coleman would have brought star power and fundraising prowess to any run, as well as experience running statewide. Hennepin County Attorney Jeff Johnson has said he’s considering running against Dayton, and Congressmen John Kline and Erik Paulsen have not closed the door to statewide runs.
Devin Henry can be reached at dhenry@minnpost.com.