The Minneapolis Star Tribune profiles ex-senator Dean Barkley of Minnesota, who is seeking to return to the U.S. Senate as the Independence Party candidate. The newspaper says Barkley “drew support from 18 percent of likely voters in the most recent Star Tribune Minnesota Poll — making him a force that matters in the Senate race and eliciting the sincerest form of flattery from his opponents. They’ve criticized him in debates and in at least one television ad.”
The story also says Barkley’s ex-wife, Susan, who said their marriage ended largely because of her then-husband’s political career, plans to vote for him. She said, “He’d be an excellent senator. He’s really smart — he gets it.”