One Of The Senate's Most Liberal

Wellstone Was In A Tough Battle For Re-Election

(CBS)  Wellstone was not only one of the most liberal senators, but one of the most passionate. His voice would often rise up as he railed against Republicans for not raising the minimum wage or trying to drill for oil in Alaska's wilderness. He was a friendly outgoing man, reports CBS News Capitol Hill Correspondent Bob Fuss, and a bit of a dynamo — short in stature and filled with energy, always seemingly running to his next speech or campaign event.

Wellstone, running for a third term, was in a tough re-election contest which has been targeted by party leaders on both sides as one of the handful of states where control of the Senate could be determined. He was running against Norm Coleman, former mayor of St. Paul, and while a few points ahead in the latest poll, he was definitely fighting to keep his seat.

Wellstone was first elected to the Senate in 1990 after upsetting Republican Senator Rudy Boschwitz, 50 percent to 48 percent. Wellstone faced Boschwitz again in 1996, and defeated him 50 percent to 41 percent.

After first getting elected to the Senate, Wellstone promised to serve no more than two terms. His decision to run again - which he said was based on the close division of power in the Senate - has been criticized by Republicans.

In 1991, Wellstone successfully led opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He opposed U.S. military involvement in the Gulf war, and criticized former President Clinton for sending troops to Haiti without the consent of Congress.

He has often been in the small minority in Senate votes. He was one of three senators to oppose national missile defense in 1999. He cast the lone vote against a popular education reform bill that same year, and sponsored a bill in 2000 which requires states to let students graduate even if they don't pass state-mandated tests. (Wellstone scored below 800 on his SATs.) Also in 2000, he was the only Democratic Senator to oppose the Democrats' version of the estate tax repeal.

Wellstone backer former Senator Bill Bradley to be the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee.

Wellstone has made moves to appear more moderate. In May, he even stood next to President Bush as he signed the massive federal farm bill, which will be a boon to Minnesota farmers. The photo of Mr. Bush and Wellstone was later featured on Wellstone's campaign Web site.

On health care issues, Wellstone and Sen. Pete Domenici pushed successfully for mental heath coverage in health insurance in 1996. He supports single-payer insurance and has attacked pharmaceutical profits as "obscene."

In January, Wellstone was diagnosed with a mild form of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Age: 58

Education: Bachelor's degree, University of North Carolina, 1965; doctorate in political science, University of North Carolina, 1969.

Experience: Political science professor, Carleton College, Northfield, Minn., 1969-90. U.S. Senator, 1991-2002.

Family: Married (former Sheila Ison), three children.