Exit the department-store heir. Enter the Purple People Eater?
Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.), facing ominous poll numbers and circling challengers, announced yesterday that he will not seek reelection to a second term in 2006. "I do not believe that I am the best candidate to lead the DFL Party to victory next year," Dayton said in his candid statement. (DFL stands for Democratic-Farmer-Labor, the state's version of the Democrats.)
 
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Republicans hailed the announcement as a chance for the GOP to widen its majority in the Senate. "It's a great opportunity for Republicans," said GOP lobbyist and strategist Charlie Black. "Minnesota is a swing state now." Republicans appear relatively unified behind a strong potential candidate in Rep. Mark Kennedy, who is expected to announce his candidacy soon.
Democrats said they were hopeful that the retirement of the beleaguered senator would give them a better chance to keep the seat. Among the names Democratic officials are floating as a potential nominee: Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan C. Page, who was a member of the Minnesota Vikings' "Purple People Eaters" defensive squad in the 1970s; entertainers Al Franken and Garrison Keillor; lawyer Michael Ciresi; businessman Vance Opperman; state Attorney General Mike Hatch; and Rep. Betty McCollum.
Dayton, whose family built the Dayton Hudson retail empire, has made news in Washington, but not always in a favorable way. Last spring, he attended a reception honoring the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, at which Moon declared himself the Messiah. Dayton's office said the senator was not expecting Moon to be in attendance.
And in October, Dayton was widely criticized for closing his Capitol Hill offices after he heard a security briefing that included worst-case scenarios about al Qaeda attacking the U.S. government with weapons of mass destruction.
With such unhelpful headlines, Dayton's approval rating in a Minneapolis Star Tribune poll fell to 43 percent last month from 58 percent a year earlier. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued a statement saying the senator "recognized that this was going to be a tough race and did the honorable thing by putting the needs of his constituents ahead of the demands of a reelection campaign."
Kerry to Give DNC $1 Million
Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) announced yesterday that he will give $1 million from his campaign funds to the Democratic National Committee and urged his supporters in an e-mail message to make individual contributions to help revitalize the party.
"A new DNC Chair will be elected at the end of this week," Kerry wrote, referring to the expected election of former rival Howard Dean. "Let's make sure that he has everything he needs to start strong."
Kerry said Democrats must build strong state and local parties to remain competitive against Republicans. "Our party should be a constant positive presence in every American community, and we can be if we tap into the grassroots energy of volunteers," he wrote.
Kerry's donation and e-mail were the latest in a series of steps he has taken to stay in touch with his supporters and to maintain his standing in the party after his loss to President Bush.
Staff writer Dan Balz contributed to this report.
