Excessive heat watch in effect through Sunday

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

This debate originally aired in August 1982.

Wednesday is the 15th anniversary of the plane crash that 

killed Sen. Paul Wellstone and seven other people

. At the time of the crash, Wellstone was running for a third term in the U.S. Senate. 

The first time he ran for public office was in 1982 when he was the DFL candidate for Minnesota state auditor. His opponent was Republican Arne Carlson. 

The two men debated on Minnesota Public Radio in August of that year. 

"I am an activist auditor," Wellstone said during the debate. "To my mind, it's simply not enough to talk to local communities about what their economic situation might be. What you have to be is a community builder."

Rick Kahn turned Wellstone memorial into political rally

Wellstone said he wanted to be an advocate for local government in Minnesota because he knows what it's like when they run out of money — "communities die."

"I talk about programs that build communities. And that's one of the reasons you are elected to office, because you're a policy maker," he said.

Debate moderator Pat Kessler, who covered politics for MPR at the time, then asked Carlson if that was a fair assessment of what a state auditor was meant to do.

"Everything that my opponent has indicated he wants to do can be done as a member of the Minnesota State Legislature or the United States Congress," Carlson said.

Carlson defeated Wellstone in that race for state auditor. In 1990, Carlson was elected to the first of two terms as governor of Minnesota. That same year, Wellstone was elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time.

History

Politics and Government News

Shows

All Things Considered

Morning Edition

Jim Bickal

Author

In a 1982 debate between Paul Wellstone and Arne Carlson, both vying for the position of State Auditor, Wellstone talked about how the right candidate should be a "community builder."

Paul Wellstone on what kind of person should be state auditor

Go Deeper.

Like this?