KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and SportsSenate candidates continue to campaign hard into final stretch

Senate candidates continue to campaign hard into final stretch

AUSTIN, MN (KTTC-TV) -- With just ten days to go before voters hit the polls, U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken hit the campaign trail on Saturday.

Franken teamed up with former Vice President Walter Mondale as the two made their rounds around southern Minnesota.

The duo rallied supporters in St. Paul before driving the bus down to Austin.

Franken and Mondale got off the bus and shook hands with supporters and signed plenty of autographs.

Today marks the anniversary of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone's death, and Mondale compared Franken's enthusiastic attitude to Wellstone's.

Mondale says, "He's got the guts to do it; he reminds me of Paul Wellstone--he'll shake it up! And that's what we need."

Franken says, "And you know what? I'm gonna take this guy; I'm gonna take on Norm Coleman, and he is running as hard as he can away from his record. He's running as hard as he can away from Bush, but I'm gonna take him because you're running along side of me."

Franken's speech focused on his economic agenda for Minnesota's middle class, and urged supporters to take action November 4th and vote for change.

Franken spoke to a crowd of all ages.

There were plenty of young people out there to see him.

Franken and Mondale's next stop was Albert Lea and they were finishing their tour of southern Minnesota, Saturday evening, in St. Peter.

Meantime, Senator Norm Coleman was in St. Paul Saturday morning, and then attended the Wayzata Football game this afternoon.

His campaign finished the day in Blaine speaking to supporters at the Victory Office there.

Meanwhile, as political candidates turn up the heat, some are taking a moment to remember one of their own.

Today marks the sixth anniversary of the plane crash that took the lives of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife, daughter and five others.

Wellstone died less than two weeks before the 2002 election.

Minnesota Democrats then asked former Vice President Walter Mondale to step in as their candidate.

He ran, but lost to Norm Coleman.