Norm Coleman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Norm Coleman
Official portrait, 2005
United States Senator from Minnesota
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2009
Preceded by	Dean Barkley
Succeeded by	Al Franken
52nd Mayor of Saint Paul
In office January 1, 1994 – January 1, 2002
Preceded by	James Scheibel
Succeeded by	Randy Kelly
Personal details
Born	Norman Bertram Coleman Jr. (1949-08-17) August 17, 1949 (age 75) New York City, U.S.
Political party	Republican (1996–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 1996)
Spouse	Laurie Casserly ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	4
Education	Hofstra University (BA) University of Iowa (JD)

Norman Bertram Coleman Jr. (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician and lawyer. He served as a U.S. Senator for Minnesota from 2003 to 2009. Before that, he was the mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1994 to 2002.

Coleman started his political career as a member of the Democratic Party. However, he later joined the Republican Party in 1996. He was elected to the Senate in 2002. In 2008, he lost his reelection bid by a very small number of votes.

Early Life and Education

Norm Coleman was born in New York City on August 17, 1949. His family is Jewish. He went to James Madison High School in Brooklyn. Later, he studied at Hofstra University on Long Island.

In college, Coleman was very active in student life. He was elected president of the student senate. He also attended the famous Woodstock Festival.

Coleman later went to law school. He earned his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1976.

Political Career

After finishing law school, Coleman worked as a prosecutor. He joined the Minnesota Attorney General's office. He eventually became the chief prosecutor.

Mayor of Saint Paul (1994–2002)

Coleman became the mayor of St. Paul in 1993. This is Minnesota's capital city. One of his first actions was to change retirement health benefits for city workers.

A big achievement as mayor was bringing professional ice hockey back to Minnesota. The state's team, the Minnesota North Stars, had moved away. In 1997, the NHL gave St. Paul a new team, the Minnesota Wild. They would play in a new arena called the Xcel Energy Center.

Coleman also worked to keep property taxes from going up. He froze property tax rates for the eight years he was mayor. During his time, St. Paul added 18,000 new jobs. The city's job rate grew by 7.1%.

Coleman was first elected mayor as a Democrat. But he later joined the Republican Party in 1996. He was reelected mayor in 1997 as a Republican. He is the last Republican mayor of St. Paul as of 2024.

1998 Governor Campaign

In 1998, Coleman ran for governor of Minnesota. He easily won the Republican nomination. He ran against Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III and Jesse Ventura. Ventura, a former professional wrestler, surprisingly won the election.

U.S. Senator (2003–2009)

Coleman with John Roberts in 2005

Coleman with Samuel Alito in 2005

In 2002, Coleman decided to run for the U.S. Senate. He challenged the sitting Senator, Paul Wellstone. Coleman had even helped Wellstone's campaign in 1996.

The election was very close. A few weeks before the election, Senator Wellstone died in a plane crash. Former Vice President Walter Mondale took his place on the ballot. Coleman defeated Mondale by about 61,000 votes. He became a U.S. Senator in 2003.

In 2003, Coleman made a comment about his relationship with the White House. Some people found it offensive. He later apologized for his words.

2008 Reelection Campaign

In 2008, Coleman ran for reelection. His main opponent was Al Franken, a former comedian. The election was incredibly close.

On election day, Coleman was ahead and thought he had won. But Minnesota law requires a recount if the votes are very close. The difference between Coleman and Franken was only about 0.01%.

After the recount, Franken was ahead by 225 votes. Coleman challenged these results in court. His term as Senator ended on January 3, 2009.

A panel of three judges looked at the case. They allowed Coleman to present evidence about rejected ballots. After reviewing more ballots, Franken's lead grew to 312 votes.

On April 13, the judges ruled that Franken was the winner. They said the election was fair and accurate. Coleman then appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court. On June 30, the Supreme Court also ruled in Franken's favor. Coleman then accepted the results.

After Politics

Coleman in October 2023

After leaving the Senate, Coleman became an advisor for the Republican Jewish Coalition. He also helped start the American Action Network. This is a conservative group.

Many people thought Coleman would run for governor of Minnesota in 2010. But he decided not to. He also chose not to run for Senate again in 2014.

Lobbying Work

In 2011, Coleman joined Hogan Lovells. This is a large international law firm. He works there as a senior government advisor. He helps different groups and governments connect with lawmakers.

Coleman is also on the advisory council for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. This group works to promote international cooperation. He also works as a lobbyist for the government of Saudi Arabia.

Political Views

Norm Coleman's political views have changed over time.

From Democrat to Republican

When he was in college, Coleman was a liberal Democrat. He was active in the anti-war movement. He even led a sit-in protest once.

In 1996, Coleman announced he was leaving the Democratic Party. He joined the Republican Party instead. He said he was frustrated with the Democrats. He believed the Republicans offered a better chance to keep taxes low and create jobs.

His critics thought he switched parties to help his political career. But Coleman said his beliefs and how he governed would not change. He was reelected mayor as a Republican.

As a Senator

As a senator, Coleman was seen as a moderate Republican. This means his views were not always strictly conservative. He was part of the Republican Main Street Partnership. This group includes more moderate Republicans.

He was ranked as one of the most liberal Republicans in the Senate in 2007. He often worked with senators from both parties.

Energy and Environment

Coleman strongly supported making the U.S. independent from foreign energy sources. He wanted to develop alternative energy like wind and biofuels.

He helped pass a law in 2005 that set new standards for renewable fuels. He also supported tax credits for clean energy.

Coleman supported oil exploration in some areas. But he kept a promise not to support drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Agriculture

Coleman was on the Senate's Agriculture Committee. He helped write the Farm Bill in 2008. He worked to help sugar farmers in Minnesota. He also supported programs for dairy farms.

He voted to override President Bush's veto of the Farm Bill twice. This showed he sometimes disagreed with his own party's president.

Coleman, President George W. Bush, and others at DR-CAFTA signing

Coleman had concerns about the Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). He wanted to protect the U.S. sugar industry. He voted for the agreement after getting rules to limit foreign sugar imports.

Money and Taxes

Coleman was generally seen as a fiscal centrist. This means he had balanced views on money matters. He supported raising the minimum wage. He also wanted to protect pensions.

He supported tax cuts for families and businesses. He wanted to make tax cuts permanent. He also supported the line-item veto. This would allow the president to reject parts of a bill.

Foreign Policy

Coleman strongly supported the Iraq War. He believed U.S. troops should stay until the situation was stable. He did not support setting a specific date for troops to leave.

He was also concerned about Iran. He sponsored resolutions to condemn Iran's nuclear program. He wanted to increase sanctions on Iran.

Coleman was a strong supporter of Israel. He co-sponsored laws to fight terrorism against Israel.

Social Issues

Coleman supported limiting stem cell research. He believed it should only use adult stem cells. He voted against using federal money for new embryonic stem cell research.

He opposed recognizing same-sex marriages. He voted for a change to the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

As mayor, he hired Susan Kimberly as deputy mayor. Kimberly is a transgender woman.

Social Security

Coleman supported allowing workers to invest part of their Social Security money. This would create individual accounts. He said these changes would only affect people younger than 55.

Relationship with Bush Administration

In 2002, the Bush administration encouraged Coleman to run for Senate. Coleman sometimes disagreed with President Bush. In 2006, he called on Bush to change his staff. He said they were not listening enough to the public.

In 2007, Coleman joined other senators in opposing Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.

United Nations Reform

Coleman worked to fight corruption at the United Nations. He focused on the "oil-for-food" program. This program was meant to help Iraq. But it had many problems.

He chaired hearings in the Senate about these abuses. He pushed for reforms at the UN.

Government Infrastructure

Coleman was a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security. He criticized the head of FEMA, Michael Brown, after Hurricane Katrina. He said Brown did not show enough leadership during the disaster.

In 2006, Coleman introduced a bill to ban foreign companies from running U.S. ports.

Personal Life

Norm Coleman with his wife Laurie

Norm Coleman married Laurie Casserly in 1981. They have two children, Jacob and Sarah. Two other children died as babies from a rare genetic condition.

In 2016, his son Jacob ran for a state Senate seat in Minnesota. His daughter-in-law, Julia Coleman, won election to the state senate in 2021.

In 2009, Coleman announced he had Bell's palsy. This is a condition that causes temporary weakness in face muscles. In 2018, he shared that he was battling cancer.

Electoral History

See also

In Spanish: Norm Coleman para niños

• List of American politicians who switched parties in office
• Politics of Minnesota
• List of Jewish members of the United States Congress