Election filing indicates Painter to run as DFL candidate for U.S. Senate
Almost two months after saying he was considering a run for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, it appears former White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter has decided to enter the special election as a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate.
Painter has a news conference scheduled for Monday at the Minnesota Capitol, but a Federal Election Commission filing from last week shows the self-described "centrist" has registered as a DFL candidate. The University of Minnesota law professor, who worked under Republican President George W. Bush, has become a go-to commentator for cable TV and a fierce critic of President Trump.
Painter, 56, of Mendota Heights, has said he's supported candidates from both parties in the past.
His run as a Democrat would mean newly appointed Sen. Tina Smith would face a well-known challenger in an August primary ahead of the special election in November.
Smith was Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton's lieutenant governor, and his pick to replace Sen. Al Franken when Franken resigned over sexual harassment allegations late last year.
Republican state Sen. Karin Housley of St. Marys Point is seeking the Republican nomination.
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