Everyone is talking about Jesse Ventura's decision not to run after all for the U.S. Senate seat now held by GOP incumbent Norm Coleman. But the real surprising news out of Minnesota is that Al Franken has a serious Democratic primary challenger who will make the case that the former comedian can't beat Mr. Coleman.
Priscilla Lord Faris has only slightly more experience than Mr. Franken in elected office, having served a few years on a local city council. But she has a golden political name as the daughter of Miles Lord, a liberal hero who served as a federal judge. She also has been very active in many Democratic campaigns. She says she expects to spend between $1 million and $2 million on her primary race.
"I feel like we need a change in Minnesota in our senator, and I'm not sure that our endorsed candidate [Mr. Franken] is going to be able to do it," Ms. Lord Faris told the Associated Press. She points to polls that show Mr. Franken losing to Mr. Coleman by seven to 12 points, even though Democrat Barack Obama easily carries the state.
Mr. Franken remains the favorite in any primary, but his struggle against Mr. Coleman has just become all the harder, with the former comedian likely to be distracted by the primary challenge until well into September.
John Fund is an editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal.
