Humphrey versus Coleman

Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have had DFL mayors elected to the U.S. Senate for Minnesota. Who did better?

Hubert H. Humphrey was elected mayor of Minneapolis in 1945. Humphrey was instrumental in the creation of the DFL party, having advocated for the Democrats to join forces with the strong Farmer-Labor Party in the 1940s. Humphrey was also an early proponent of civil rights within the Democrat Party. His floor proposal to add a civil rights plank to the platform at the 1948 party convention led to Dixicrats leaving the party and supporting Strom Thurmond's third party candidacy.

Humphrey had a distinguished career in the U.S. Senate, serving from 1949 until he was elected Vice President in 1964. Humphrey ran for president unsuccessfully against Richard Nixon in 1968, and returned to the Senate during the 1970s until his death in 1978.

Norm Coleman is a former DFL-elected mayor of St. Paul, who switched to be a Republican during his tenure as mayor. Coleman was elected to the Senate against former Vice President Walter Mondale, who was replaced on the ballot following incumbent Senator Paul Wellstone's death ten days before the election. Four of Coleman's six years in the Senate have been under Republican leadership. Coleman has voted the party line and for the Iraq war throughout his term. Coleman is not known for risking his political career with principled stands. Coleman isn't even the Minnesota Republican rumored to be a vice presidential pick.

Minneapolis and Minnesotans at large are proud of Vice President Humphrey. The public affairs school at the University of Minnesota is named after him. An airport terminal is named after him. And the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome is the current home for the Vikings and Twins (although everyone just calls it the Metrodome).

In fairness, Coleman's political career comes about 50 years after Humphrey's. Still, it is difficult to see Coleman taking a principled but unpopular stand on the floor of the Republican Convention. It is difficult to see Norm Coleman as a vice presidential pick at any point. And the heart of every DFLer quakes at the prospect of naming a school, stadium, or terminal after Norman Coleman. It's probably not going to happen.

Should Norm Coleman's political career take a very different trek, we may need to reconsider. But where things stand right now Minneapolitans have more reason to take pride in their mayor-turned-senator than the St. Paulites.

Minneapolis wins.

Minneapolis: [ 4] / St. Paul: [ 3]