I am often asked, "What influenced you to run for election and serve in public office?"
With the 15th anniversary of his tragic death approaching this week (Oct. 25), my answer is still simple and straightforward: "Paul Wellstone."
I am just one of many community organizers and activists whom Paul inspired to run for elected office. He helped us understand that our voices were needed on school and township boards, in city halls, in state legislatures and in Washington, D.C. As elected representatives, we could open doors to those who were underrepresented in the corridors of power. Wellstone taught us that elected officials can amplify the demands of emerging citizen movements and help counter the power of large corporations in public spaces where moneyed interests often dominate policy deliberations.
While Paul's improbable victory in the 1990 Senate race is the stuff of Minnesota political legend, the seeds of his drive to connect the dots between grass-roots organizing and elected office are rooted in his lesser-known run for state auditor in 1982.
That year, I was working as an organizer for Minnesota COACT, a statewide citizen organization with deep rural roots. We worked to protect family farms, promote universal health care and halt cold-weather utility shut-offs, among many statewide and local issues.
In the spring of 1982, Paul decided to seek the DFL endorsement for state auditor. In a tribute to Wellstone in 2012, Gov. Mark Dayton recalled the 1982 state DFL convention. At that convention, Dayton was endorsed for his first Senate run against Republican Dave Durenberger. According to Dayton, upon hearing Wellstone's floor speech, "The convention went wild ... [the delegates] had just heard the most electrifying speech in their lives. A motion was made for a voice vote on the endorsement, and Paul won overwhelmingly."
A group of fellow organizers answered Paul's call to volunteer for his campaign. We were skeptical of electoral politics but knew and liked Paul.
At that time there were no computer printouts or detailed voter lists to target likely voters. Our version of targeting involved spending an afternoon door knocking in Minneapolis's Powderhorn neighborhood, a longtime bastion of progressive politics. Armed with clipboards, and brown-and-white "Wellstone an Active State Auditor" buttons, we set out.