Chris Coleman surprised the entire political establishment by announcing he is not running for governor. The St. Paul Mayor was scheduled to be in next week's first gubernatorial debate featuring leading Democrats and Republicans sponsored by Hunger Solutions and held in his hometown.
At the State Fair in August, I asked Coleman point blank if he should be on the list of candidates for governor for the story I was working on and he said yes, put him on the list. I even prodded for something quirky from his past for the angle I was working and he quickly gave a great quip about wearing a kilt playing the bagpipes opening for Rod Stewart at the Xcel Center.
But many I'd been speaking to for my upcoming magazine article thought it was an uphill battle for Coleman, they said he lacked the charisma of his famous father and faced a lot of strong and wealthy candidates in the race to replace Gov. Tim Pawlenty. The mayor was very outspoken during the legislative session, coming to the Capitol often and becoming a chief critic of the governor's cuts to local government aid.