Tim Pawlenty first won the Minnesota governor's office over two other serious challengers in 2002, pulling in 44 percent of the vote to 37 percent for his Democratic rival and 16 percent to a candidate from the Independence Party.

Four years later, he narrowly edged then-Democratic Attorney General Mike Hatch in the 2006 election, 46 percent to 45 percent. A third candidate in the race was public policy consultant Peter Hutchinson, who won 6 percent as an Independence Party candidate.

Pawlenty has been involved in politics since winning a suburban legislative seat in 1992.

He was re-elected five times and ascended to the post of House majority leader when Republicans took control in 1998. That year he briefly toyed with a run for governor, but did not.

Pawlenty was considered a finalist for the vice presidential running-mate slot John McCain awarded to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in 2008.

Pawlenty has said he would wait until after the 2009 session to decide whether to seek a third term as governor. His name is frequently mentioned as a potential GOP presidential candidate for 2012, and many expect that to have some bearing on his decision. Another factor could be that no Minnesota governor has won a third consecutive term since 1958, and terms ran only two years in those days.

(Last updated by Steve Karnowski on March 26, 2009.)

Norm Coleman's political future remained unclear pending a final resolution of Minnesota's 2008 Senate race. Democratic challenger Al Franken led Coleman by 225 votes after a statewide hand recount, and Coleman's challenge of that result remained tied up in court as of March 2009. With the race unsettled, his term expired in January 2009 and his seat was left open.

Coleman was elected to the Senate in 2002 against Democrat Walter Mondale, who entered the race after incumbent Sen. Paul Wellstone was killed in a plane crash during the campaign. Coleman won with 50 percent of the vote to Mondale's 47 percent.

In 1993, as a moderate Democrat, he defeated the party's endorsed candidate for mayor of St. Paul, state Rep. Andy Dawkins. After switching parties, Coleman easily won re-election as a Republican in 1997, with 59 percent of the vote against Democratic state Sen. Sandy Pappas.

But his attempt to become the state's governor fell short when he lost to former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura in 1998.

(Last updated by Steve Karnowski on March 26, 2009.)

Editor's note (June 29, 2009): Republican Norm Coleman conceded to Democrat Al Franken in Minnesota's contested Senate race on June 29, 2009, hours after a unanimous state Supreme Court ruled Franken should be certified the winner.

As of March 2009, Al Franken's future remained unclear pending a final resolution of Minnesota's 2008 Senate race. He led Coleman by 225 votes after a statewide hand recount, and Coleman's challenge of that result remained tied up in court as of late March. Coleman's term expired in January 2009 and his seat was left open.

(Last updated by Steve Karnowski on March 26, 2009.)

Amy Klobuchar was elected to the Senate in 2006. Klobuchar quickly entered the U.S. Senate race in 2005 when incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Dayton announced he wouldn't seek a second term. She defeated Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy in the 2006 election with 58 percent of the vote.

In 1998, Klobuchar won a close election to become Hennepin County attorney, making her chief prosecutor in the state's most populous county. She ran unopposed for re-election in 2002, winning 99 percent of the vote.

(Last updated by Steve Karnowski on March 26, 2009.)