Republican U.S Rep. Erik Paulsen, who has left conflicting impressions over his potential interest in a U.S. Senate run, said on Friday he's "not taking anything off the table but it's something I'm not even thinking about right now."
Since January, Paulsen, who has been considered a top prospect to vie against Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken in 2014, has twice made comments that made listeners believe he would not wage a bid for Senate. After those comments were published, his staff quickly corrected that he was not ruling out a run.
He said Friday that those conflicting impressions were not his fault.
"I can't comment on the interpretation of others..on remarks that I've made. But my message has been consistent," said Paulsen, who said he has had no conversations with anyone at the National Republican Senatorial Committee about a possible run. "Comments get misinterpreted and my staff has had to clarify."
As it stands, Franken lacks a high-profile GOP opponent. Like Paulsen did on Friday, U.S. Rep. John Kline, through his staff, has left open the possibility of a Senate run. Republicans also currently lack a high-profile opponent to Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, who plans to run for re-election next year.
On Friday, Paulsen made clear that any Republican would have a tough time beating either Democrat. But, he said, that can be overcome.
"Running statewide as a Republican in Minnesota is always a challenge," Paulsen said. "Whoever ends up being our nominee will end up raising quite a lot of funds. Those races will be competitive."
"You've got to have a lot of things come together to be able to raise money, to be able to have grassroots support and have all that come together at once when you crescendo an election," he said.