Jim Cohen drops out of race, endorses Franken; four DFLers remain

Updated: February 4, 2008 - 11:18 PM

Cohen, 65, withdrew from the U.S. Senate race last week.

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Attorney and environmental activist Jim Cohen, who withdrew last week from the Minnesota U.S. Senate race, is endorsing Al Franken for the DFL Party nomination.

In a statement released Monday by Franken's campaign, Cohen said that he has seen Franken in action and is "convinced that he is our strongest candidate to defeat Norman Coleman and put America back on the right track."

Incumbent Coleman, a Republican, is seeking reelection this year.

Cohen, 65, a self-described "pragmatic progressive" from Minneapolis, dropped out of the race last week. He said that his campaign's limited resources and the health of his father were factors in his decision to end his six-month-old candidacy.

Cohen's withdrawal leaves four candidates in the race for the DFL endorsement. In addition to Franken, they are Mike Ciresi, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and Dick Franson.

In a statement, Franken said he was "thrilled" to get Cohen's support. Over several months on the campaign trail, he said, he enjoyed "getting to know Jim and ... his call for a new kind of politics and a Washington where leaders work across party lines to get things done."

Franken said he shared Cohen's interest in creating new jobs through renewable energy, universal and affordable health care, and meaningful campaign finance reform.

KEVIN DUCHSCHERE