American lobbyist, attorney, and politician (born 1949)
For the former Secretary of Agriculture, see Norman Jay Coleman.
"Senator Coleman" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator Coleman (disambiguation).
Norm Coleman
Official portrait, 2005
United States Senator from Minnesota
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2009
Preceded by
Dean Barkley
Succeeded by
Al Franken
52nd Mayor of Saint Paul
In office January 1, 1994 – January 1, 2002
Preceded by
James Scheibel
Succeeded by
Randy Kelly
Personal details
Born
Norman Bertram Coleman Jr.
(1949-08-17) August 17, 1949 (age 74) New York City, U.S.
Political party
Republican (1996–present)
Other political affiliations
Democratic (before 1996)
Spouse
Laurie Casserly
(m. 1981)
Children
4
Education
Hofstra University (BA) University of Iowa (JD)
Norm Coleman's voice
Norm Coleman speaks on the threat of Iran Recorded March 2, 2006
Norman Bertram Coleman Jr. (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician, attorney, and lobbyist. From 2003 to 2009, he served as a United States Senator for Minnesota. From 1994 to 2002, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. First elected as a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Coleman became a Republican in 1996. Elected to the Senate in 2002, he was narrowly defeated in his 2008 reelection bid. As of 2024, he is the most recent Republican to have represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate.
Born in New York City, Coleman was elected mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota's capital and second-largest city, in 1993 as a member of the Democratic Party. A liberal Democrat in his youth, Coleman shifted to conservatism as an adult. After conflicts with the Democratic Party over his conservative views, Coleman joined the Republican Party. He was reelected mayor a year later as a Republican. While serving as mayor, he was the Republican nominee in the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election, but lost to former professional wrestler and third-party candidate Jesse Ventura. As mayor of Saint Paul, he helped return the National Hockey League to Minnesota through the Minnesota Wild after an almost decade-long absence.
Coleman challenged incumbent Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone in the 2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota. After Wellstone died in a plane crash a few weeks before the election, he was replaced on the ballot by former Vice President Walter Mondale. Coleman defeated Mondale by over two points. He sought reelection in 2008. In one of the closest elections in the history of the Senate, he lost to former comedian Al Franken by 312 votes out of over three million cast (a margin of just over 0.01%). Since his defeat, Coleman has been a lobbyist and chairs both the Republican Jewish Coalition and the conservative American Action Network.
mid-2006. Several such instances, such as those involving Marty Meehan, NormColeman, Conrad Burns, and Joe Biden, received significant media attention. Others...
fill Wellstone's Senate seat. His brief tenure ended when Republican NormColeman was elected and sworn in to fill the seat. Barkley has run for office...
defeated Republican incumbent NormColeman in one of the closest elections in the history of the Senate, with Coleman's Senate predecessor Dean Barkley...
unexpectedly defeating the major-party candidates, Republican St. Paul mayor NormColeman and Democratic-Farmer-Labor Attorney General Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey...
affiliate of the Democratic Party), defeating incumbent Republican Senator NormColeman by 312 votes out of nearly three million cast (a margin of just over...
resigning to assume the vice presidency. He narrowly lost to Republican NormColeman, the former mayor of Saint Paul. The day before the election, Governor...
Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura defeated Republican Party challenger NormColeman and Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party challenger Hubert H. "Skip"...
before the election. Mondale narrowly lost the race to Saint Paul mayor NormColeman. He then returned to working at Dorsey & Whitney and remained active...
The political positions of NormColeman have changed dramatically over his career. Originally a Democrat and an anti-war activist as a university student...
Social norms are shared standards of acceptable behavior by groups. Social norms can both be informal understandings that govern the behavior of members...
through December 31, 2007, while NormColeman had raised $6.24 million. Year-end cash on hand was $6.04 million for Coleman and $3.10 million for Franken...
to the Republican Party. It was established in 2010 by Fred Malek and NormColeman as a 501(c)(4) organization. The AAN's sister organization, the American...
reelection to the Senate in 2002 and was facing former Saint Paul mayor NormColeman in a competitive race when, a few weeks before the election, Wellstone...
incumbent Republican Senator NormColeman in 2008. When the initial count was completed on November 18, Franken was trailing Coleman by 215 votes. This close...
D'Esposito, incumbent U.S. Representative Anthony D'Esposito U.S. senators NormColeman, former U.S. senator from Minnesota (2003–2009) U.S. representatives...
and commentator Al Franken and incumbent Senator NormColeman, one of the ballots challenged by Coleman included a vote for Franken with "Lizard People"...
disguises. At headquarters, Steele encounters an old agency nemesis, NormColeman, and flirts with the Director's adoring secretary, referred to as Miss...
Dick Cheney asked him to step aside and allow former St. Paul mayor NormColeman to challenge Senator Paul Wellstone without Republican primary opposition...
Wellstone on the ballot. Mondale lost to Republican Mayor of Saint Paul NormColeman. The day before the election, Independence Governor Jesse Ventura had...
Mondale). In the general election, both Humphrey and Republican candidate NormColeman lost to the third-party candidacy of Jesse Ventura in a tumultuous race...
former State House Minority Leader Laura Brod, state representative NormColeman, former U.S. Senator, former St. Paul mayor Paul Koering, state senator...
memorable election-eve debate between United States Senate candidates NormColeman (previously mayor of St. Paul) and Walter Mondale (formerly a U.S. Vice...
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