Sen. Paul Wellstone

Ruled out 2000 presidential bid on January 9, 1999 at a press conference at the State Capitol in St. Paul, MN.

PROFILE

**Paul Wellstone, Democrat, of Minnesota**.
Current	U.S. Senator from Minnesota. Elected in 1990, has vowed not to seek re-election in 2002. Serves on Labor and Human Resources, Foreign Relations, Small Business, Indian Affairs, and Veterans Affairs Committees. Established presidential exploratory committee in April 1998. Working on a book, "A Better America," in collaboration with Bill Dauster, counselor for the exploratory committee.
Career	Re-elected in 1996, again defeating Boschwitz. In 1990 Wellstone was the only challenger to unseat an incumbent Senator (Rudy Boschwitz). Unsuccessfully ran for state auditor in 1982. Political science professor at Carleton College in Northfield, MN for 21 years.
Education	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A. in Political Science, 1965 and Ph.D. in Political Science, 1969. At Chapel Hill, Wellstone was a champion wrestler.
Family	Married Sheila Ison in 1963. Three children, David, Marcia and Mark; three grandchildren.
Religion	Jewish.
Age	54 years old. Born July 21, 1944 in Washington, DC (parents Leon and Minnie). Grew up in Arlington, VA.

Readings
Ruth Conniff. "President Wellstone? A Liberal Populist Considers a Run." The Nation, May 18, 1998. (cover story) >

Dennis McGrath and Dane Smith. 1995. Professor Wellstone Goes to Washington. University of Minnesota Press.

Speeches
"Beyond Symbolic Politics" (Prepared Remarks) at "Back to Basics: A Conference on the Future of the American Left," Chicago, Illinois, October 9, 1998 >

In this speech, delivered less than a month before the November elections, Wellstone considers how to broaden progressive politics. He rejects the symbolic politics practiced by President Clinton ("We need to progress beyond the era of changes the size of school uniforms, and move ahead to a bold agenda that affects people's lives.") Likewise he decries the "narrow self interest" of the "New Isolationist" Republicans who "seek to cloak greed and selfishness behind the mantle of 'individual opportunity.'"

Stanford University, Kresge Auditorium, February 18, 1998 >

A quintessential Wellstone speech to a student audience. He included some pointed examples, gleaned from talking to people in cafes, of people struggling to make ends meet. Wellstone also reviewed the Children's Tour he embarked on in mid-1997 in an effort to put a focus on economic justice issues and "to reveal…the face of poverty as it exists today."