Norm Doesn’t Rule Out 2010 Gubernatorial Run — Or Further Litigation On The Senate Race

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Speaking to reporters yesterday at the Conservative Heartland Leadership Conference in St. Louis, Norm Coleman did not rule out a run for Governor of Minnesota in 2010, now that incumbent Republican Tim Pawlenty has announced he isn’t running again. But he also seemed to leave the door open to further litigation over his former Senate seat, in the wake of reports that he was ready to throw in the towel after the state Supreme Court presumably rules against him.

“I’m still waiting to hear from the Supreme Court,” said Coleman, when asked about a gubernatorial run. “Remember I just gave a speech about being focused? I’m a very focused guy, and the focus is on keeping my Senate seat.”

Coleman could potentially start out as one of the immediate frontrunners for the Republican nomination for Governor of Minnesota, thanks to a higher profile than any other remaining GOPers and perhaps a feeling among the party base that they were robbed in the Senate race. It should also be noted that while Minnesota is heavily Democratic in most respects, the state Dems have been habitually unable to win the statehouse since they lost it back in 1990.

He also sought to tamp down the Roll Call report that “sources close to Coleman” said he would not appeal a state Supreme Court defeat — the kind of story that would consign him to political irrelevancy if it became widely accepted. “Again, I’m focused on the Minnesota Supreme Court, but I haven’t ruled anything out. It’s not a question of appetite,” he said. “And the only person that close to me would be my wife, and I know she hasn’t been speaking to — ‘sources close to.'”

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