Dean Barkley ponders race for Senate

Dean Barkley
Dean Barkley, shown in this November 2002 photo, after meeting with President Bush at the White House. Barkley was appointed to the Senate to fill out the last few weeks of Paul Wellstone's term, after Wellstone was killed in a plane crash.
MPR file photo/Mark Zdechlik

Revelations about DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken's tax history have some Democrats worried about his chances for defeating incumbent Republican Norm Coleman in the November election.

Former Gov. Jesse Ventura has recently said he may enter the race, and now Ventura's campaign manager, Dean Barkley, is considering it as well.

Barkley is the the man Gov. Ventura appointed to finish out the Senate term of the late Paul Wellstone -- the same seat that's now held by Coleman.

Barkley served in the Senate for a matter of weeks at that time. Most recently, he ran the gubernatorial campaign of Texas independent Kinky Friedman.

MPR's Tom Crann spoke with Barkley about his interest in the Senate race.

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