Minnesota Democrats Pick Former Sen. Mark Dayton as Governor Candidate

He's no outsider, but former Sen. Mark Dayton, who won the Minnesota Democratic primary for governor, is far from a conventional candidate. Dayton resuscitated his political career Tuesday by narrowly defeating Minnesota House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, who had the backing of the state Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and most of its political leaders

But in a state that once elected a professional wrestler -- the bombastic Jesse Ventura -- as its governor, conventional wisdom does not always rule the day. Dayton, part of a family that owns a department store chain that includes Target, was able to pour $3 million of his own money into the campaign and eked out a victory in a three-way race with a "tax the rich" message.

When Dayton left the U.S. Senate after one term in 2006, his political future looked dim. He didn't like the job on Capitol Hill, said as much, and gave himself "and the entire Senate an F for progress," according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

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But Dayton courted Minnesota's elderly and also union voters and now leads a party into the November campaign for an office it has not held in two decades. Dayton will face conservative state Rep. Tom Emmer, who won the Republican primary, and Independence Party candidate Tom Horner. Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is flirting with a 2012 presidential campaign, is not seeking reelection.