Editing Paul Wellstone

{{Short description|American politician (1944–2002)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Paul Wellstone
| image               = Paul Wellstone, official Senate photo portrait.jpg
| caption             = Official portrait, {{circa}} 2002
| jr/sr               = United States Senator
| state               = [[Minnesota]]
| term_start          = January 3, 1991
| term_end            = October 25, 2002
| predecessor         = [[Rudy Boschwitz]]
| successor           = [[Dean Barkley]]
| birth_name          = Paul David Wellstone
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1944|7|21}}
| birth_place         = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2002|10|25|1944|7|21}}
| death_place         = [[Eveleth, Minnesota]], U.S.
| death_cause         = Airplane crash
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Sheila Ison]]|1963}}
| children            = 3
| education           = [[University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Arts|MA]], [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
| signature           = Paul Wellstone signature.svg
| module              = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Sen. Paul Wellstone Introduces S.422, the Taconite Workers Relief Act of 2001.ogg|title=Paul Wellstone's voice|type=speech|description=Wellstone introduces S.422, the Taconite Workers Relief Act of 2001<br/>Recorded March 1, 2001}}
}}
'''Paul David Wellstone''' (July 21, 1944 – October 25, 2002) was an American academic, author, and politician who represented [[Minnesota]] in the [[United States Senate]] from 1991 until he was killed in a plane crash near [[Eveleth, Minnesota]], in 2002. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] ([[Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party|DFL]]), Wellstone was a leader of the [[Populism|populist]] and [[Progressivism|progressive]] wings of the party.

Born in [[Washington, D.C.]], Wellstone grew up in [[Northern Virginia]]. He went on to graduate from the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] with a Bachelor's of Arts and a doctorate in [[Political Science|political science]]. In 1969, Wellstone was hired as a professor at [[Carleton College]] in [[Northfield, Minnesota|Northfield]], Minnesota, where he taught until his election to the Senate in 1990. In addition, he also worked as a local activist and [[community organizing|community organizer]] in rural [[Rice County, Minnesota|Rice County]]. In 1982, he made his first bid for political office in that year's [[Minnesota State Auditor]] race. His campaign was unsuccessful, losing to Republican incumbent [[Arne Carlson]].

Wellstone challenged two-term [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] incumbent [[Rudy Boschwitz]] in the [[1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota|1990 United States Senate election]]. Wellstone was widely seen as an underdog and was significantly outspent by Boschwitz. Using his progressive populism and [[Grassroots|grassroots campaigning]] tactics, such as his iconic green school bus, Wellstone won in an upset victory that gained him national attention. He was the only challenger in the country that year to defeat an incumbent senator. In his [[1996 United States Senate election in Minnesota|1996 reelection campaign]], he defeated Boschwitz in a rematch. He won the elections with 50.4% and 50.3% of the vote, respectively.

While in the U.S. Senate, Wellstone was a supporter of environmental protection, labor groups, and health care reform. He notably authored the "Wellstone Amendment" for the [[Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act]] of 2002. However, his efforts toward [[Campaign finance reform in the United States|campaign finance reform]] were overturned in 2010 by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] in ''[[Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission]]''. Wellstone was a candidate for reelection to the Senate in [[2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota|2002]] and was facing former [[Saint Paul, Minnesota|Saint Paul]] mayor [[Norm Coleman]] in a competitive race when, a few weeks before the election, Wellstone died in a plane crash near [[Eveleth, Minnesota|Eveleth]], Minnesota. His wife, [[Sheila Wellstone|Sheila]], and daughter, Marcia, also died on board. After his sudden death, Wellstone was replaced on the ballot by former [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Walter Mondale]], who lost by a slim margin to Coleman. Wellstone's sons, David and Mark, were not on the flight, and until 2018 co-chaired the [[Wellstone Action|Wellstone Action nonprofit organization]] (now named Re:Power) in honor of their parents.

==Background and education==
Wellstone was born in [[Washington, D.C.]], the second son of [[Ukrainian Jews|Ukrainian Jewish immigrants]] Leon and Minnie Wellstone. His father changed the family name from Wexelstein after encountering [[antisemitism]] during the 1930s.<ref>{{cite book|author=Dennis J. McGrath, Dane Smith|title=Professor Wellstone goes to Washington: The Inside Story of a Grassroots U.S. Senate Campaign|publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]]|date=April 1995|location=Minneapolis, MN|page=[https://archive.org/details/professorwellsto0000mcgr_a1j9/page/292 292]|url=https://archive.org/details/professorwellsto0000mcgr_a1j9|url-access=registration|quote=Wexelstein wellstone.|isbn=978-0-8166-2663-2 }}</ref> Raised in [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington, Virginia]], Wellstone attended [[Wakefield High School (Arlington County, Virginia)|Wakefield High School]] and [[Yorktown High School (Virginia)|Yorktown High School]], graduating in 1962.<ref name="startribune.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/politics/11758146.html?refer%3Dy |title=Sen. Paul Wellstone &#124; StarTribune.com |website=[[Star Tribune]] |access-date=January 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603094356/http://www.startribune.com/politics/11758146.html?refer=y |archive-date=June 3, 2013 }}</ref>

Wellstone attended the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] (UNC) on a [[sport wrestling|wrestling scholarship]]. In college he was an undefeated [[Atlantic Coast Conference]] wrestling champion. After his freshman year, he married [[Sheila Wellstone|Sheila Ison Wellstone]]. He graduated with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in [[political science]] in 1965, and was elected [[Phi Beta Kappa]].<ref name="unc-well">{{cite web|url=http://www.unc.edu/depts/polisci/news_items/alumni_news/2002/wellstone2.html |title=www.unc.edu/depts/polisci/news_items/alumni_news/2002/wellstone2.html |publisher=Unc.edu |access-date=December 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126013108/http://www.unc.edu/depts/polisci/news_items/alumni_news/2002/wellstone2.html |archive-date=January 26, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="unc-well1">{{cite web|url=http://www.unc.edu/depts/polisci/news_items/alumni_news/2002/wellstone.html |title=www.unc.edu/depts/polisci/news_items/alumni_news/2002/wellstone.html |publisher=Unc.edu |access-date=December 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126014406/http://www.unc.edu/depts/polisci/news_items/alumni_news/2002/wellstone.html |archive-date=January 26, 2009 }}</ref> In May 1969, Wellstone earned a [[PhD]] in [[political science]] from UNC. His doctoral dissertation on the roots of black militancy was titled ''Black Militants in the Ghetto: Why They Believe in Violence''.<ref name="startribune.com"/>

==Early career and activism==
In August 1969, Wellstone accepted a [[tenure-track]] position at [[Carleton College]] in [[Northfield, Minnesota|Northfield]], [[Minnesota]], where he taught political science until his election to the Senate in 1990.<ref name="startribune.com"/> During the 1970s and 1980s, he also began [[community organizing]], working with the working poor and other politically disenfranchised communities. He founded the Organization for a Better Rice County, a group consisting mainly of single parents on [[Aid to Families with Dependent Children|welfare]]. The organization advocated for [[public housing]], affordable [[health care]], improved [[public education]], free [[school lunches]], and a publicly funded [[day care center]]. In 1978, he published his first book, ''How the Rural Poor Got Power: Narrative of a Grassroots Organizer'', chronicling his work with the organization.<ref name="startribune.com"/>

Wellstone was arrested twice during this period for [[civil disobedience]].<ref name="minnesota.publicradio.org">{{Cite web|url=http://minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/2010/wellstone-files/feature/|title = From protester to senator, FBI tracked Paul Wellstone - the Wellstone Files}}</ref> The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] began a case file on him after his May 1970 arrest for protesting the [[Vietnam War]] at the Federal Office Building in [[Minneapolis]]. In 1984 Wellstone was arrested again, for [[trespassing]] during a [[foreclosure]] protest at a bank.<ref name="minnesota.publicradio.org"/>

Wellstone extended his activism to the Minnesota labor movement. In the summer of 1985, he walked the [[picketing (protest)|picket line]] with striking [[Hormel#1985 strike|P-9ers]] during [[1985–86 Hormel strike|a labor dispute]] at the [[Hormel|Hormel Meat Packing]] plant in [[Austin, Minnesota]]. The [[Minnesota National Guard]] was called in during the strike to ensure that Hormel could hire permanent replacement workers.<ref name="startribune.com"/>

The trustees of Carleton College briefly fired Wellstone in the late 1970s for his activism and lack of academic publications. After his students held a [[sit-in]], the trustees rehired him and gave him tenure. Wellstone remains the youngest tenured faculty member in Carleton's history.<ref name="PassionateProgressive">{{cite book | last=Lofy | first=Bill | title=Paul Wellstone: The Life of a Passionate Progressive | publisher=University of Michigan Press | publication-place=Ann Arbor | date=2005 | isbn=978-0-472-03119-1 | pages=36–37}}</ref>

==Early political career==
Wellstone first sought public office in 1982. He received the Democratic nomination for [[Minnesota State Auditor]] after an impassioned speech at the state convention.<ref name="startribune.com"/> In the general election he received 45% of the vote, losing to [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] incumbent, and future Minnesota governor, [[Arne Carlson]].<ref name="startribune.com"/> Wellstone remained active in [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic politics]] in the mid-1980s. He served as an elected committeeman for the [[Democratic National Committee]] in 1984, and in 1986 began a second campaign for State Auditor before dropping out to tend his mother's failing health.<ref name="startribune.com"/> In 1988, Wellstone chaired [[Jesse Jackson]]'s [[Jesse Jackson presidential campaign, 1988|campaign for the presidency]] in Minnesota. After the primary, he co-chaired [[Michael Dukakis]]'s [[1988 United States presidential election|campaign]] in the state.<ref name="startribune.com"/>

==U.S. Senate campaigns (1990–2002)==
[[File:wellstonebus.jpg|thumb|Wellstone's [[campaign bus]]]]
In [[United States Senate election in Minnesota, 1990|1990]], Wellstone ran for the U.S. Senate against incumbent [[Rudy Boschwitz]], beginning the race as a serious underdog. He narrowly won the election despite being outspent 7 to 1. Wellstone played off his underdog image with quirky, humorous ads created by political consultant [[Bill Hillsman]], including "Fast Paul"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbmMlTsKo30| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/NbmMlTsKo30| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Paul Wellstone TV Ad "Fast Paul"| date=October 25, 2006|via=YouTube|access-date=July 20, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and "Looking for Rudy",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfZuplTlu4M| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/nfZuplTlu4M| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=North Woods Advertising – "Looking for Rudy" – Paul Wellstone for U.S. Senate (MN)| date=July 13, 2009|via=YouTube|access-date=December 7, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> a [[pastiche]] of the 1989 [[Michael Moore]] documentary ''[[Roger & Me]]''. Boschwitz was also hurt by a letter his supporters wrote, on campaign stationery, to members of the Minnesota Jewish community days before the election, accusing Wellstone of being a "bad Jew" for marrying a [[Gentile]] and not raising his children in the Jewish faith. (Boschwitz, like Wellstone, is Jewish.) Wellstone's reply, widely broadcast on Minnesota television, was "He has a problem with Christians, then." Boschwitz was the only incumbent U.S. senator not to be reelected that year.

Wellstone defeated Boschwitz again in [[United States Senate election in Minnesota, 1996|1996]]. During that campaign, Boschwitz ran ads accusing Wellstone of being "embarrassingly liberal" and calling him "Senator Welfare". He accused Wellstone of supporting [[flag burning]], a move some believe backfired. Before that accusation, the race was close, but Wellstone beat Boschwitz by nine points despite again being significantly outspent. Reform Party candidate [[Dean Barkley]] received 7% of the vote.

Wellstone's upset victory in 1990 and reelection in 1996 were also credited to a [[Grassroots democracy|grassroots]] campaign that inspired college students, poor people, and minorities to get involved in politics, many for the first time. In 1990, the number of young people involved in the campaign was so notable that shortly after the election, [[Walter Mondale]] told Wellstone that "the kids won it for you". Wellstone also spent much of his Senate career working with the [[Hmong American|Hmong]] community in Minnesota, which had not previously been much involved in American politics, and with the [[veterans]] community—serving on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, successfully campaigning for [[atomic veteran]]s to receive compensation from the federal government, and for increased spending on health care for veterans.<ref>{{cite web|author=A. Schneider, Mark Kuhn |url=https://www.npr.org/news/specials/wellstone/ |title=Sen. Paul Wellstone, 1944–2002 |publisher=Npr.org |access-date=December 15, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aracnet.com/~pdxavets/broudy23.htm |title=OMB Approves Benefits for Vets Suffering from Radiogenic Cancers |access-date=August 27, 2001 |archive-date=August 27, 2001 |archive-url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20010827024524/http://www.aracnet.com/~pdxavets/broudy23.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.commondreams.org/pressreleases/july99/072699d.htm |title=Wellstone Welcomes White House Announcement on Increased Funding for Vets Health Care, But Says "We Must Do Better" |publisher=Commondreams.org |date=July 26, 1999 |access-date=December 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629092523/http://www.commondreams.org/pressreleases/july99/072699d.htm |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In 2002, Wellstone campaigned for reelection to a third term despite an earlier campaign pledge to serve only two. His [[Republican Party of Minnesota|Republican]] opponent was [[Norm Coleman]], a two-term mayor of [[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]] and former Democrat, who had supported Wellstone's 1996 campaign. Earlier that year Wellstone announced he had a mild form of [[multiple sclerosis]], causing the limp he had believed was an old wrestling injury.

Wellstone was in a line of center-left senators from the [[Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party|Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party]] (DFL). The first three, [[Hubert Humphrey]], [[Eugene McCarthy]], and [[Walter Mondale]], were all prominent in the national Democratic Party. Shortly after joining the Senate, South Carolina Senator [[Ernest Hollings|Fritz Hollings]] told Wellstone, "You remind me of Hubert Humphrey. You talk too much."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_4_39/ai_94596503 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709180116/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_4_39/ai_94596503 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 9, 2012 |title=Paul Wellstone was a true mensch and Christ-like soul |publisher=Findarticles.com |date=November 15, 2002 |access-date=December 15, 2011}}</ref>

==Presidential aspirations==
Shortly after his reelection to the Senate in 1996, Wellstone began contemplating a run for his party's nomination for [[President of the United States]] in [[2000 United States presidential election|2000]]. In May 1997, he embarked on a cross-country speaking and listening tour dubbed "The Children's Tour." It took him through rural areas of [[Mississippi]] and [[Appalachia]] and the [[inner city|inner cities]] of [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]], [[Chicago]], [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], and [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]]. He intended to retrace the steps [[Robert F. Kennedy]] took during a similar tour in 1966, and to highlight the fact that conditions had improved slightly for African-Americans since the [[civil rights movement]], but not much for poor whites despite their dependency on food stamps, government jobs (military) and the massive federal investment in their regions, especially Appalachia.

In 1998, Wellstone formed an [[exploratory committee]] and a leadership [[Political Action Committee|PAC]], the Progressive Politics Network, that paid for his travels to [[Iowa]] and [[New Hampshire]], two early primary states in the nomination process. He spoke before [[organized labor]] and local Democrats, using the slogan "I represent the democratic wing of the Democratic Party." Vermont governor [[Howard Dean]] later incorporated that phrase into his stump speech in the [[Howard Dean presidential campaign, 2004|2004 US presidential election]].<ref name="startribune.com"/>

On January 9, 1999, Wellstone called a press conference at the [[Minnesota State Capitol]] at which he said he lacked the stamina necessary for a national campaign, citing chronic back problems he ascribed to an old wrestling injury. His pain was later diagnosed as [[multiple sclerosis]]. He thereafter endorsed former Senator [[Bill Bradley]] of [[New Jersey]], the only Democratic candidate to challenge Vice President [[Al Gore]].<ref name="startribune.com"/>

==Political positions==
[[File:Paul Wellstone.jpg|thumb|Official portrait, {{circa}} 1990s]]
Wellstone was known for his work for peace, the environment, labor, and health care; he also joined his wife Sheila to support the rights of victims of [[domestic violence]]. He made the issue of mental illness a central focus in his career.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wellstone.org/network/issue_page.aspx?catID=2796 |title=About Us {{pipe}} Wellstone Action! |publisher=Wellstone.org |access-date=July 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080422062259/http://wellstone.org/network/issue_page.aspx?catID=2796 |archive-date=April 22, 2008 }}</ref> He was a supporter of immigration to the U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grades.betterimmigration.com/testgrades.php3?District=MN&VIPID=430&retired=1|title=Immigration-Reduction Grades {{pipe}} NumbersUSA – For Lower Immigration Levels|publisher=Grades.betterimmigration.com|access-date=July 20, 2010|archive-date=October 13, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091013044046/http://grades.betterimmigration.com/testgrades.php3?District=MN&VIPID=430&retired=1|url-status=dead}}</ref> He opposed the first [[Gulf War]] in 1991 and, in the months before his death, spoke out against the government's threats to go to war with Iraq again. He was strongly supported by groups such as [[Americans for Democratic Action]], the [[AFL–CIO]], the [[Sierra Club]], the [[American Civil Liberties Union]], and [[People for the American Way]]. He was often called "the conscience of the Senate".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dayton |first1=Mark |title=Tribute to Paul Wellstone |url=https://mn.gov/gov-stat/images/Speech-Tribute_Wellstone.pdf |access-date=27 August 2024 |website=State of Minnesota}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ireland |first1=Mark |url=https://www.northstarpress.com/store/p652/Wellstone%2C_Conscience_of_the_Senate%3A_The_Collected_Floor_Speeches_of_Senator_Paul_Wellstone.html |title=Paul Wellstone: Conscience of the Senate |date=1 Sep 2008 |publisher=North Star Press |isbn=978-0878392902 |location=St. Cloud MN |access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref>

In 1996, Wellstone voted for the [[Defense of Marriage Act]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=104&session=2&vote=00280 |title=1996 Roll Call for H.R. 3396 |publisher=Senate.gov |access-date=December 15, 2011}}</ref> He later asked his supporters to educate him on the issue and by 2001, when he wrote his autobiography, ''Conscience of a Liberal'', Wellstone admitted that he had made a mistake.

Wellstone was one of only eight senators to vote against repealing the [[Glass–Steagall Act]] in 1999.<ref name="106-354.EH">Congressional roll-call: [https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=1&vote=00354 S.900 as reported by conferees: Financial Services Act of 1999, Record Vote No: 354], November 4, 1999, Clerk of the Senate. Sortable unofficial table: [http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/106/senate/1/votes/354/ On Agreeing to the Conference Report, S.900 Gramm-Bliley-Leach Act, roll call 354, 106th Congress, 1st session] Votes Database at ''[[The Washington Post]]'', retrieved on October 9, 2008</ref>

After voting against the [[Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq|congressional authorization]] for the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|war in Iraq]] on October 11, 2002, amid a tight election, Wellstone is said to have told his wife, "I just cost myself the election".

In the 2002 campaign, the [[Green Party (United States)|Green Party]] ran a candidate against Wellstone, a move some Greens opposed. The party's 2000 vice-presidential nominee, [[Winona LaDuke]], called Wellstone "a champion of the vast majority of our issues".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/talking_politics/documents/02397914.htm |title=Talking Politics{{pipe}}Green around the gills |work=Boston Phoenix |access-date=December 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301134414/http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/talking_politics/documents/02397914.htm |archive-date=March 1, 2012 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Some liberals criticized the Green Party's decision to oppose Wellstone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenation.com/doc/20020617/cooper20020607 |title=Red Over Green Party Moves |work=The Nation |date=June 7, 2002 |author=Marc Cooper |access-date=December 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211182638/http://www.thenation.com/doc/20020617/cooper20020607 |archive-date=February 11, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Wellstone was the author of the "Wellstone Amendment" to the [[McCain-Feingold Bill]] for [[Campaign finance reform in the United States|campaign finance reform]], in what came to be known as the [[Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002]]. The law, including the Wellstone Amendment, was called unconstitutional by groups and individuals of various political perspectives, including the [[California Democratic Party]], the [[National Rifle Association of America]], and Republican Senator [[Mitch McConnell]], the Senate majority [[Whip (politics)|whip]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A54524-2003Dec10&notFound=true|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=McCain-Feingold Ruling Angers Activists on Both Left and Right|date=December 11, 2003|access-date=May 22, 2010|first=David|last=Von Drehle}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Annie Feidt |title=Critics say Wellstone's finance reform amendment may violate freedom of speech rights |url=https://archive.mpr.org/stories/2001/03/27/critics-say-wellstones-finance-reform-amendment-may-violate-freedom-speech-rights |website=Minnesota Public Radio |access-date=31 May 2023 |language=en-US |format=audio |date=27 March 2001 }}</ref> On December 10, 2003, the Supreme Court upheld McCain-Feingold's key provisions, including the Wellstone Amendment. Wellstone called McCain-Feingold's protection of "advocacy" groups a "loophole" allowing "special interests" to run last-minute election ads. He pushed an amendment to extend McCain-Feingold's ban on last-minute ads to nonprofits like "the NRA, the [[Sierra Club]], the [[Christian Coalition of America|Christian Coalition]], and others". Under the Wellstone Amendment, these organizations could advertise using only money raised under strict "hard money" limits—no more than $5,000 per individual.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Mickey Kaus |title=Wellstone's Folly |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2002/04/the-dead-rat-on-campaign-finance-reform-s-kitchen-floor.html |website=slate |publisher=The Slate Group |access-date=31 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107015507/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2002/04/the-dead-rat-on-campaign-finance-reform-s-kitchen-floor.html |archive-date=7 November 2018 |language=en-US |date=4 April 2002 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2010, in ''[[Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission]]'', the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the McCain-Feingold Act and removed restrictions on the NRA's and others' ability to campaign at election time.

===Gulf War===
Wellstone voted against authorizing the use of force before the [[Gulf War|Persian Gulf War]] on January 12, 1991 (the vote was 52–47 in favor).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=102&session=1&vote=00002|title=U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote|publisher=Senate.gov|access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref> He also voted against the use of force before the [[Iraq War]] on October 11, 2002 (the vote was 77–23 in favor).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00237|title=U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote|publisher=Senate.gov|access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref> Wellstone was one of 11 senators to vote against both the 1991 and 2002 resolutions. The others were also all Democrats: [[Daniel Akaka]] of [[Hawaii]]; [[Jeff Bingaman]] of [[New Mexico]]; [[Robert Byrd]] of [[West Virginia]]; [[Kent Conrad]] of [[North Dakota]]; [[Daniel Inouye]] of Hawaii; [[Ted Kennedy]] of [[Massachusetts]]; [[Patrick Leahy]] of [[Vermont]]; [[Carl Levin]] of [[Michigan]]; [[Barbara Mikulski]] of [[Maryland]]; and [[Paul Sarbanes]] of Maryland.

===Other key military action votes===
Wellstone supported requests for military action by President [[Bill Clinton]], including [[Operation Restore Hope]] in [[Somalia]] (1992), [[Operation Uphold Democracy]] in [[Haiti]] (1994), [[Operation Deliberate Force]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (1995), [[Bombing of Iraq (December 1998)|Operation Desert Fox]] in [[Iraq]] (1998), and [[1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Operation Allied Force]] in [[1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] (1999). On July 1, 1994, during the 100-day [[Rwandan genocide]] from April 6 to mid-July 1994, Wellstone authored an amendment to the 1995 defense appropriations bill.<ref name=congress>{{cite web|title=Congress.org|url=https://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/?Db=d103&querybd=@FIELD(FLD003+@4((@1(Sen+Wellstone++Paul+D.))+01454))|access-date=July 14, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026083735/http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/?Db=d103&querybd=@FIELD(FLD003+@4((@1(Sen+Wellstone++Paul+D.))+01454))|archive-date=October 26, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Death==
On October 25, 2002, Wellstone, along with seven others, died in an airplane crash in northeastern Minnesota, at 10:22&nbsp;a.m. He was 58 years old. The other victims were his wife, Sheila; one of his three children, Marcia; the pilots, Richard Conry and Michael Guess;<ref name="chicagotribune2003">{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2003-02-22-0302220110-story.html|title=Pilot skill at issue in senator's fatal flight – Chicago Tribune|date=February 22, 2003 |publisher=chicagotribune.com|access-date=July 30, 2020}}</ref> and campaign staffers Mary McEvoy, Tom Lapic and Will McLaughlin.<ref name="publicradio2002">{{cite web|url=http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200210/29_pugmiret_3services/|title=MPR: Three crash victims remembered|publisher=News.minnesota.publicradio.org|access-date=July 29, 2020}}</ref> Autopsy reports determined that five of the passengers likely died instantly upon impact, while three others—McEvoy, Lapic, and McLaughlin—showed signs of smoke inhalation from the ensuing fire.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lewandowski |first1=Beth |title=Pilot in Wellstone crash considered canceling flight |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/02/21/wellstone.crash/ |website=[[CNN]] |access-date=2024-04-12 |date=2003-02-21}}</ref><ref name="cancel"/> The airplane was en route to [[Eveleth, Minnesota|Eveleth]], where Wellstone was to attend the funeral of Martin Rukavina, a steelworker whose son [[Tom Rukavina]] served in the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]]. Wellstone decided to go to the funeral instead of a Minneapolis rally and fundraiser attended by Mondale and fellow Senator [[Ted Kennedy]]. He was to debate Norm Coleman in [[Duluth, Minnesota]], that night.

[[File:Paul Wellstone Grave Minneapolis Minnesota (17405711761).jpg|right|thumb|Paul and Sheila Wellstone memorial, Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota]]
The [[Beechcraft King Air|Beechcraft King Air A100]] plane crashed into dense forest about two miles from the [[Eveleth, Minnesota|Eveleth]] airport, while operating under [[instrument flight rules]]. It had no [[Flight recorder#Flight data recorder|flight data recorders]]. [[Autopsy]] [[toxicology]] results on both pilots were negative for drug or alcohol use. [[Atmospheric icing|Icing]], though widely reported on in following days, was considered and eventually rejected as a significant factor in the crash. The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB) judged that while cloud cover might have prevented the flight crew from seeing the airport, icing did not affect the plane's performance during its descent.<ref>{{cite web|author=NTSB|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/news/2002/021217a.htm|title=NTSB Press Release|publisher=Ntsb.gov|access-date=October 25, 2012}}</ref>

The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI), which initially sent agents to help recover debris, investigated possible foul play in the crash. After a few days, it determined that the crash was accidental, but only after following several criminal leads involving death threats. Wellstone had been receiving death threats since he took office; the FBI tapped his phone to locate the callers. Documents about the FBI's involvement in investigating Wellstone's death were not publicly released until 2010.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chappell |first=Bill |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/10/25/130816043/fbi-s-files-on-wellstone-show-long-involvement-inquiry-into-2002-crash |title=Files Reveal FBI Tracked Wellstone Early; Aided Inquiry Into 2002 Crash : The Two-Way |publisher=NPR |date=October 25, 2010 |access-date=December 15, 2011}}</ref> Government documents also indicated that the FBI had been following Wellstone before he became a senator, and included records dating as far back as his arrest at a 1970 antiwar protest.<ref>{{cite web|last=Baran |first=Madeleine |url=http://minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/2010/wellstone-files/feature/ |title=From protester to senator, FBI tracked Paul Wellstone{{pipe}}The Wellstone Files{{pipe}}Minnesota Public Radio News |publisher=Minnesota.publicradio.org |date=October 25, 2010 |access-date=December 15, 2011}}</ref>

The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB) later determined that the crash's likely cause was "the flight crew's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which led to an aerodynamic [[Stall (fluid dynamics)|stall]] from which they did not recover".<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2003/AAR0303.pdf|title=Aircraft Accident Report|access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref> The last two radar readings detected the plane traveling at or just below its predicted stall speed given conditions at the time.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Aviation experts speculated the pilots might have lost situational awareness because they were lost and looking for the airport.<ref name="publicradio2003">{{cite web |url=http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2003/03/03_zdechlikm_wellstone/ |title=MPR: Four months later, questions remain in Wellstone crash probe|publisher=News.minnesota.publicradio.org|access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref> They had been off course for several minutes and "[[Pilot-controlled lighting|clicked on]]" the runway lights,<ref name="autogenerated1"/> something not usually done in good visibility.{{citation needed|date=August 2013}} There was a problem with the airport's [[VHF omnidirectional range]] (VOR) navigational beacon. According to Minnesota Public Radio:

{{blockquote|The day after the crash, FAA pilots tested the VOR. The inspection pilots reported to the NTSB that when they flew the approach without their automatic pilot engaged, the VOR repeatedly brought them about a mile south of the airport. In one written statement an FAA pilot told the NTSB that the signal guided him 1 to 2 miles left or south of the runway. That's the same direction Wellstone's plane was heading when it crashed.<ref name="publicradio2003"/>}}

[[File:Paul and Sheila Wellstone - Memorial Site, Eveleth, Minnesota (35191438863).jpg|right|thumb|The Paul Wellstone Memorial and Historic Site near Eveleth, Minnesota.]]
Other pilots at the charter company told NTSB that pilot Richard Conry and [[First officer (aviation)|first officer]] (co-pilot) Michael Guess had both displayed below-average flying skills. Conry had a well-known tendency to allow copilots to take over all aircraft functions as if they were the sole pilot. After the crash, three copilots told of occasions on which they had to take control of the aircraft away from Conry.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> After one of those incidents, three days before the crash, the copilot (not Guess) had urged Conry to retire.<ref name="cancel">{{cite web|url=http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/5236353.htm |title=Pioneer Press{{pipe}}02/22/2003{{pipe}}Pilot wanted to cancel Wellstone's fatal flight |date=August 31, 2003 |access-date=December 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041224175537/http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/5236353.htm |archive-date=December 24, 2004 }}</ref> In a post-accident interview, Conry's longtime friend and fellow aviator Timothy Cooney said that he had last spoken to Conry in June 2001 and had expressed concerns about difficulties he had flying King Airs as late as April of that year, 18 months before the crash.<ref>Interview Summaries, pp. 18, 21.</ref> Significant discrepancies were also found in the captain's flight logs in the course of the post-accident investigation, indicating he had probably greatly exaggerated his flying experience, most of which had been accrued before a 9–10 year hiatus from flying due to a fraud conviction and poor eyesight.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> He underwent [[LASIK]] surgery, but it had improved his vision to only 20/50 or 20/30.<ref>Human Performance Specialist Report, p.10</ref> FAA regulations required Conry to wear corrective lenses,<ref>Human Performance Specialist Report, p. 8</ref> but his wife and Cooney said Conry did not do so after the surgery.<ref>Interview Summaries, pp. 19, 24</ref> The coroner who examined his body was unable to determine whether Conry was wearing contact lenses at the time of the crash.<ref>Human Performance Specialist Report, p.26</ref>

Coworkers described Guess as having had to be consistently reminded to keep his hand on the throttle and maintain airspeed during approaches.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> He had two previous piloting jobs, one with Skydive Hutchinson as a pilot (1988–1989), and another with [[Northwest Airlines]] as a trainee instructor (1999), and was dismissed from both for lack of ability.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kennedy |first=Tony |url=http://www.startribune.com/politics/11758266.html |title=Wellstone's pilot balked at flying on morning of crash |publisher=StarTribune.com |date=February 22, 2003 |access-date=July 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607032758/http://www.startribune.com/politics/11758266.html |archive-date=June 7, 2011 }}</ref> Conry's widow told the NTSB that her husband told her "the other pilots thought Guess was not a good pilot".<ref>Interview Summaries page 26</ref>

===Aftermath===
{{Main|Paul Wellstone memorial event}}
[[File:Flowers on Paul Wellstone's desk.png|thumb|Flowers adorn Wellstone's desk in the U.S. Senate chamber, October 28, 2002]]
Wellstone died just 11 days before his [[2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota|potential reelection]] in a crucial race to maintain Democratic control of the Senate. Campaigning halted on all sides. Minnesota law required that his name be stricken from the ballot, to be replaced by a candidate chosen by the party. The DFL selected former [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Walter Mondale]].

The memorial service for Wellstone and the other victims of the crash was held in [[Williams Arena]] at the [[University of Minnesota]] and broadcast live on national TV.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1NQ3L1qVpQ|title=Paul Wellstone funeral|date=October 29, 2002|via=YouTube}}</ref> The lengthy service was dotted with political speeches, open advocacy on political issues, and a giant beach ball batted around the crowd in the style of a beach party. Many high-profile politicians attended the memorial, including former President [[Bill Clinton]], former Vice President [[Al Gore]], and more than half the U.S. Senate. The White House offered to send Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] to the service, but the Wellstone family declined.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/29/politics/29CND-WELL.html |work=The New York Times |title=At Request of Wellstones, Cheney Will Not Attend Memorial |first=Jodi |last=Wilgoren |date=October 29, 2002 |access-date=May 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424141723/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/29/politics/29CND-WELL.html |archive-date=April 24, 2009 }}</ref>

Some criticized the service for having an inappropriate tone<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200210/30_scheckt_backlash1/|title=MPR: Wellstone staff apologizes for memorial service rhetoric|last=Radio|first=Minnesota Public|website=news.minnesota.publicradio.org|language=en|access-date=April 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>Noonan, Peggy. [http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110002554 "'No Class': What Paul Wellstone might have thought of the memorial rally."] ''The Wall Street Journal'' November 1, 2002.</ref> and resembling a "pep rally"<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/ballot_box/2002/10/no_contest.html|title=No Contest|last=Saletan|first=William|date=October 30, 2002|work=Slate|access-date=April 29, 2017|language=en-US|issn=1091-2339}}</ref> or "partisan foot-stomp".<ref name="collins20021106">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mondales-senate-bid-falls-short/ |title=Mondale's Senate Bid Falls Short |access-date=February 27, 2011 |author=Collins, Dan |date=November 6, 2002 |work=CBS News}}</ref> Wellstone campaign manager Jeff Blodgett noted after the event that it had not been scripted and apologized to people who were offended or surprised.<ref name=":0" /> In his 2003 book ''[[Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them]]'', [[Al Franken]] wrote that "reasonable people of good will were genuinely offended" but argued that conservative media figures exploited outrage at the event for political gain. At the time of writing, Franken was a comedian and liberal commentator. Five years later, in 2008, Franken was elected to [[Classes of United States senators|the Senate seat]] once held by Wellstone.

Minnesota Governor [[Jesse Ventura]], who had stated his preference to appoint a Democrat to serve the remainder of Wellstone's term, was "disgusted"<ref name=":0" /> by the event, walking out and later threatening to appoint "an ordinary citizen" instead.<ref name="jones20021105">{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/11/05/ventura-pokes-senate/ |title=Ventura pokes Senate |access-date=February 27, 2011 |author=Jones, Tim |date=November 5, 2002 |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> On November 4, the day before the election, Ventura appointed state planning commissioner [[Dean Barkley]], founder and chair of Ventura's [[Independence Party of Minnesota]], to serve the remaining two months of Wellstone's term; he had run against Wellstone in 1996.<ref name="Sternberg">Sternberg, Bob von (October 27, 2008)[http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/33284879.html Dean Barkley: As a "viable alternative," he's a force that matters] ''StarTribune''. "In the waning days of the administration, Ventura appointed Barkley to serve out the final weeks of Wellstone's Senate term after Wellstone died in a plane crash."</ref> Coleman received 49.5% of the vote, defeating Mondale. In 2008, he was narrowly defeated (by 312 votes) in his bid for reelection by Franken, in a three-way race that included Barkley.

==Legacy==
[[File:Paul Wellstone Grave Minneapolis Minnesota (17405715191).jpg|thumb|left|Paul and Sheila Wellstone's grave markers; Marcia's can also be seen, on the far right.]]
The [[AFL–CIO]] has created the AFL–CIO Senator Paul Wellstone Award for supporters of the rights of labor unions. Presidential candidate [[Howard Dean]] and California state senator [[John Burton (American politician)|John Burton]] both received the first award in January 2003. In 2004, the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] dedicated the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Memorial Garden as a tribute to the couple, both graduates of the university. Also in 2004, [[Mason Jennings]] released "The Ballad of Paul and Sheila", a song memorializing the Wellstones, on his album ''Use Your Voice''.

Near the site of the plane crash, a memorial to the Wellstones was dedicated on September 25, 2005. His distinctive green bus was present, as well as hundreds of supporters and loved ones. The six-acre site, off Bodas Road near Eveleth, is a tribute to Wellstone's life and career, and to his family members and staff who died in the crash. The memorial is about three-quarters of a mile from the crash site, which is on private land. It is divided into three parts: the Legacy Trail, the Commemorative Circle, and the Crash Site Narrative Space.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wellstonememorial.org|title=Wellstone Memorial|access-date=December 24, 2022}}</ref>

Paul and Sheila Wellstone were buried at [[Lakewood Cemetery]] in Minneapolis, the same cemetery in which Vice President [[Hubert H. Humphrey]] is interred. A memorial sculpture near [[Bde Maka Ska]] marks their grave sites. Visitors sometimes follow the Jewish custom<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewish-funerals.org/stones-graves|title=Origins of the Custom of Putting Stones on Graves When Visiting the Cemetery|publisher=Jewish-funerals.org|access-date=July 20, 2010|archive-date=May 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505073758/http://www.jewish-funerals.org/stones-graves|url-status=dead}}</ref> of placing small stones on the boulder marking the family plot or on the individual markers. [[Wellstone Action]], a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, trains citizens and potential candidates with a progressive agenda.<ref name=umn>{{cite web|title=Politics the Wellstone Way |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |url=http://www.upress.umn.edu/wellstoneactionbook/wellstoneaction.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060221233817/http://www.upress.umn.edu/wellstoneactionbook/wellstoneaction.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 21, 2006 |access-date=January 15, 2007}}</ref><ref name=training>{{cite web |title=Training Programs |publisher=Wellstone Action |url=http://www.wellstone.org/camp/ |access-date=January 15, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061015113557/http://www.wellstone.org/camp/ |archive-date=October 15, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Wellstone Action Network |publisher=Wellstone Action |url=http://www.wellstone.org/network/index.aspx |access-date=January 15, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104060727/http://www.wellstone.org/network/index.aspx |archive-date=January 4, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Horrigan|first=Marie|title=Minn. Roundup: Walz a Legit Barrier to Gutknecht in 1st District|work=CQPolitics.com|publisher=New York Times|date=October 17, 2006|url=https://www.nytimes.com/cq/2006/10/17/cq_1650.html|access-date=January 15, 2007}}</ref>

In 2007, former [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Rosalynn Carter]] joined David Wellstone to push Congress to pass legislation regarding [[mental health]] insurance.<ref name="dailyvidette">{{cite news|title=Former first lady joins fight for mental health coverage|url=http://media.www.dailyvidette.com/media/storage/paper420/news/2007/07/11/Features/Former.First.Lady.Joins.Fight.For.Mental.Health.Coverage-2923183.shtml|agency=Associated Press|date=July 11, 2007|access-date=July 17, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928073706/http://media.www.dailyvidette.com/media/storage/paper420/news/2007/07/11/Features/Former.First.Lady.Joins.Fight.For.Mental.Health.Coverage-2923183.shtml|archive-date=September 28, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Wellstone and Carter worked to pass the [[Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008]], which requires equal coverage of mental and physical illnesses when policies include both types of coverage; both testified about the bill before a House subcommittee in 2007.<ref name="dailyvidette"/> David said of his father, "Although he was passionate on many issues, there was not another issue that surpassed this in terms of his passion."<ref name="dailyvidette"/> Because Paul Wellstone's brother had had mental illness, Wellstone had fought for changes in mental health and insurance laws when he reached the Senate.<ref name="dailyvidette"/> The St. Paul branch of the Emily Program eating disorder clinic has a Wellstone Room in its adult inpatient unit. The room is dedicated to Paul and Sheila Wellstone for their work on treating eating disorders.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.emilyprogram.com/locations/minnesota/st-paul-anna-westin-house-for-adults/|access-date=December 25, 2021 |title=St. Paul - Anna Westin House for Adults }}</ref>

On March 5, 2008, the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] passed H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007, by a vote of 268–148. It was sponsored by Representatives [[Patrick J. Kennedy|Patrick Kennedy]] and [[Jim Ramstad]], both of whom are recovering alcoholics. The narrower Senate bill S. 558, passed earlier, was introduced by Kennedy's father, Senator [[Ted Kennedy|Edward Kennedy]], [[Pete Domenici]], and [[Mike Enzi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/politics/16318346.html |title=House approval is historic moment for Wellstone's addiction and treatment crusade |publisher=Startribune.com |date=March 5, 2008 |access-date=December 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119054948/http://www.startribune.com/politics/16318346.html |archive-date=January 19, 2012 }}</ref>

==Electoral history==
{{Election box begin|title=1996 Minnesota U.S. Senate election}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party=Democratic Party (US)
|candidate=Paul Wellstone  (incumbent)
|votes=1,098,430
|percentage=50.32%
|change=−0.12%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party=Republican Party (US)
|candidate=[[Rudy Boschwitz]]
|votes=901,194
|percentage=41.28%
|change=−6.53%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party=Reform Party of the United States of America
|candidate=[[Dean Barkley]]
|votes=152,328
|percentage=6.98%
|change=''n/a''
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes=197,236
|percentage=9.04%
|change=
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin|title=1990 Minnesota U.S. Senate election}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party=Democratic Party (US)
|candidate=Paul Wellstone
|votes=911,999
|percentage=50.44%
|change=+9%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party=Republican Party (US)
|candidate=[[Rudy Boschwitz]]  (incumbent)
|votes=864,375
|percentage=47.81%
|change=−10%
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes=47,624
|percentage=2.63%
|change=
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin|title=1982 Minnesota State Auditor election}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link||party=Republican Party (US)|candidate=[[Arne Carlson]] (incumbent)|votes=932,925|percentage=54.81%|change=+3.0%}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Democratic Party (US)|candidate=Paul Wellstone|votes=769,254|percentage=45.19%|change=−1.5%}}
{{Election box majority||votes=|percentage=10%|change=}}
{{Election box end}}

==See also==
* [[List of United States Congress members who died in office (2000–)#2000s]]

== Citations ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== General and cited references ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071130223432/http://www.startribune.com/style/news/politics/wellstone/ntsb/252885.pdf ''Human Performance 14: Factual Report of Human Performance Specialist''<!-- Bot generated title -->], [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (February 20, 2003)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071027051611/http://www.startribune.com/style/news/politics/wellstone/ntsb/252886.pdf Attachment 1: Interview Summaries]—part of the crash report(s)

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last1=Blodgett | first1=Jeff | last2=Lofy | first2=Bill | title=Winning Your Election the Wellstone Way | publisher=University of Minnesota Press | publication-place=Minneapolis | date=2008 | isbn=978-0-8166-5333-1 | oclc=213599988 | url=http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/B/blodgett_winning.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228001400/http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/B/blodgett_winning.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=2008-12-28 }}
* {{cite book | last=Casper | first=Barry M. | title=Lost in Washington: Finding the Way Back to Democracy in America | publisher=University of Massachusetts Press | publication-place=Amherst | date=2000 | isbn=978-1-55849-247-9}}
* Donald "Four Arrows" Trent Jacobs and Dr. [[James H. Fetzer]], ''American Assassination: the Strange Death of Senator Paul Wellstone'', Vox Pop, 2004.
** {{cite book| last = Fetzer| first = James H.| title = American Assassination: The Strange Death Of Senator Paul Wellstone| date = November 2004| pages = 202|publisher=Vox Pop| isbn =0-9752763-0-1}}
** {{cite book|title=American Assassination: the Strange Death of Senator Paul Wellstone|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qTN3AAAAMAAJ|isbn = 9780975276303|last1 = Jacobs|first1 = Donald Trent|last2 = Arrows|first2 = Four|last3 = Fetzer|first3 = James H.|year = 2004| publisher=Vox Pop }}
* {{cite book | last=Hightower | first=Jim | author-link=Jim Hightower| title=Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can go With the Flow | publisher=John Wiley & Sons | publication-place=Hoboken, NJ | date=2008 | isbn=978-0-470-12151-1}}
* {{cite book | last=Hillsman | first=Bill | author-link=Bill Hillsman | title=Run the Other Way: Fixing the Two-Party System, One Campaign at a Time | publisher=Free Press | publication-place=New York, NY | date=2004 | isbn=978-0-7432-2446-8}}
* {{cite book | last=Lofy | first=Bill | title=Paul Wellstone: The Life of a Passionate Progressive | publisher=University of Michigan Press | publication-place=Ann Arbor | date=2005 | isbn=978-0-472-03119-1 }}
* {{cite book | last1=McGrath | first1=Dennis J. | last2=Smith | first2=Dane | title=Professor Wellstone Goes to Washington: The Inside Story of a Grassroots U.S. Senate Campaign | publisher=U of Minnesota Press | publication-place=Minneapolis | date=1995 | isbn=978-0-8166-2663-2}}
* {{cite book | last=Wellstone | first=Paul David | title=The Conscience of a Liberal: Reclaiming the Compassionate Agenda | publisher=U of Minnesota Press | date=2002 | isbn=978-0-8166-4179-6}}
* {{cite book | last=Wellstone | first=Paul | title=How the Rural Poor Got Power: Narrative of a Grass-Roots Organizer | publisher=U of Minnesota Press | publication-place=Minneapolis | date=2003 | isbn=978-0-8166-4383-7}}
* {{cite book | last1=Wellstone | first1=Paul David | last2=Casper  | first2=Barry M. | title=Powerline: The First Battle of America's Energy War | publisher=U of Minnesota Press | publication-place=Minneapolis | date=2003 | isbn=978-0-8166-4384-4}}
* {{cite book | url=https://wellstoneclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Politics-the-Wellstone-Way.pdf  | title=Politics the Wellstone Way: How to Elect Progressive Candidates and Win on Issues | publisher=U of Minnesota Press | date=2005 | isbn=978-0-8166-4665-4}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Paul Wellstone}}
* {{CongLinks | congbio=W000288 | votesmart= | fec= | congress= }}<!--
Links formerly displayed via the CongLinks template:
* [http://www.c-spanvideo.org/paulwellstone Appearances] on [[C-SPAN]] programs
* -->
* {{C-SPAN|16153}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1NQ3L1qVpQ|title=Paul Wellstone funeral<!-- |date=October 29, 2002 -->|date=October 3, 2015 |via=YouTube}}
* [http://www.wellstone.org/ Wellstone Action political training centers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302155136/http://www.wellstone.org/ |date=March 2, 2017 }}

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{{s-ttl|title=[[List of United States senators from Minnesota|U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Minnesota]]|years=1991–2002|alongside=[[David Durenberger]], [[Rod Grams]], [[Mark Dayton]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Dean Barkley]]}}
{{s-end}}

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{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wellstone, Paul}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American political scientists]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Minnesota]]
[[Category:American community activists]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:American male sport wrestlers]]
[[Category:American people of the Iraq War]]
[[Category:American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American political writers]]
[[Category:Burials at Lakewood Cemetery]]
[[Category:Carleton College faculty]]
[[Category:Death conspiracy theories]]
[[Category:Democratic Party United States senators from Minnesota]]
[[Category:Jewish American community activists]]
[[Category:Jewish American people in Minnesota politics]]
[[Category:Jewish United States senators]]
[[Category:Minnesota Democrats]]
[[Category:North Carolina Tar Heels wrestlers]]
[[Category:Politicians from Arlington County, Virginia]]
[[Category:People from Northfield, Minnesota]]
[[Category:People from Rice County, Minnesota]]
[[Category:People with multiple sclerosis]]
[[Category:Progressivism in the United States]]
[[Category:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2002]]
[[Category:Writers from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Yorktown High School (Virginia) alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century United States senators]]
[[Category:20th-century United States senators]]