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On the Senate campaign trail, Al Franken frequently invokes the name of his friend, the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, as a major inspiration. But as Franken moves to consolidate Democrats behind his challenge to Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, another Democrat is chipping into his support - one whose background and beliefs spark even greater Wellstone nostalgia for some voters.
Like Wellstone, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is a college professor with a long history of political activism and fearless liberalism. His green-and-white campaign signs mimic the Wellstone placards that still hang in the front window of many a Democratic household, and that's not an accident.
"I love it when other people make the parallel," Nelson-Pallmeyer said in an interview, during a day of courting the party activists who will decide next month whether he or Franken is the Democratic candidate.
Franken, the former "Saturday Night Live" comedian and liberal commentator, has far more money and name recognition, and is seen as the Democratic favorite to take on Coleman - who holds the seat Wellstone occupied until his death in a plane crash in 2002.
But after several weeks in which Franken's muddled personal finances have dominated campaign coverage, Nelson-Pallmeyer's underdog effort is getting a new look.
Both Franken and Nelson-Pallmeyer have said they won't run in the September primary if they're not endorsed by the 2,600 Democratic delegates and alternates at the state convention - a group that tends to be more liberal than the broader Democratic electorate.
For months, Nelson-Pallmeyer rarely got more than passing mention in coverage of Franken's Senate aspirations. The main Democratic fight was thought to be between Franken and wealthy lawyer Mike Ciresi. But in early March, the Nelson-Pallmeyer campaign began to claim it had surpassed Ciresi in delegate support; within a few days, Ciresi dropped out of the race.
That seemed to clear the field for Franken, but he was soon hit by damaging reports of sloppiness in the finances of his personal corporation. Franken ultimately said he would pay $70,000 in back taxes to 17 states, though he maintained his accountant had reported the income elsewhere.
"I hate to see a man stumble on something like that, but I think it has had an effect," said Tom Jones, a Nelson-Pallmeyer backer. "It kind of feeds into the idea that the guy isn't paying attention, and Coleman will hammer him on that."
Neither campaign is releasing their current tally of delegates. Nelson-Pallmeyer said his support is "definitely climbing," while Franken spokesman Andy Barr said the campaign is "very confident" that Franken will prevail.
Both campaigns have worked the delegates hard for months. Perhaps because of that, many are shrugging off Franken's accounting problems.
"I don't hear my fellow delegates talking about" Franken's finances, said John Schwetman, a Franken supporter. "I think those who never made a mistake on their taxes should throw the first stone. There's a lot of things people are more concerned about than a mistake by Al Franken's accountant."
Nelson-Pallmeyer hasn't pressed the issue.
"My sense is people are attracted to my candidacy because of the person behind my campaign," Nelson-Pallmeyer said. "I'm not a negative person. I'm sick of politics that are about attacks. I don't think we have time for more division."
At a recent congressional district convention in the southern Minnesota city of Albert Lea, Nelson-Pallmeyer mingled with delegates at the back of the hall.
The 57-year-old Minneapolis resident with a shock of white hair describes himself as "something of a recovering introvert," and he doesn't have Wellstone's energetic charisma in person. But he can bring a crowd of Democrats to their feet with fiery speeches focused on his opposition to the Iraq (web|news) war and Republican foreign policy.
A professor of Justice and Peace Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Nelson-Pallmeyer's campaign platform is fueled by his lifelong focus on social justice and economic equality. He often leans on his life experience, from teaching in inner city Chicago to living in Central America to leading large Iraq war protests.
"What we really need if we're going to have a world that is secure is a world that's more just and more peaceful," Nelson-Pallmeyer said.
Nelson-Pallmeyer is to Franken's left on just about everything. He's opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances, for nationwide legalization of same-sex marriages, a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in the next nine months, universal single-payer health insurance and a massive reduction in defense spending.
"I certainly think, if the general election were happening today, that Al's made more progress to reaching out to people outside the Democratic base," said Barr, Franken's spokesman.
But Nelson-Pallmeyer's supporters, like Yvonne Leiser, point out that there was another Democrat once considered too liberal for Minnesota voters.
"Paul Wellstone carried this state, and he did it twice," Leiser said.
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On the Net:
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer: http://www.jackforsenate.org/
Al Franken: http://www.alfranken.com/
Written By PATRICK CONDON
ABC 33/40 News to leave comments on news stories.