Walter F. Mondale kicked-off his five day senatorial campaign on Friday, Nov. 1 at Macalester. Mondale, a Macalester alumnus who replaced the late Senator Paul Wellstone as the Democrat-Farmer-Labor candidate for the U.S. Senate, made Macalester his first stop on the campaign trail because he wanted to go back to where he started.

Mondale opened the event, which was set up as a Town Hall Forum, by referring to the Senate elections as a strange moment in American and Minnesotan history, and to the death of Senator Wellstone as one of the greatest tragedies ever in Minnesota.

Mondale made it clear that it was his original intention to reelect Wellstone, not to run for the senate. He emphasized, however, that someone who believed in Wellstone's legacy had to carry the torch.

Before opening himself to questions, Mondale told the large crowd gathered in the Kagin Ballroom that he would use the time he had in the campaign to talk about his beliefs and to listen to the concerns of the people of Minnesota.

The first three questions came from Macalester students Braham Ketcham '05, Marta Ruohoniemi '05 and Danny Schwartzman '04. When asked for his take on the war of Iraq, Mondale responded, I would have voted the same way as Paul Wellstone, to which the crowd responded approvingly. He continued by stating that the U.S. must use force only in absolutely necessary.

The next question related to insurance for people with mental illnesses and a universal healthcare system. Mondale responded by saying that he would work to pass a bill to override the fact that most insurance companies do not cover claims associated with mental health and that he wants to work to make up for past mistakes made concerning Medicare and prescriptions.

The last question from the student panel came from Schwartzman, who asked for Mondale to relay his stance human rights issues. Mondale retorted by referring to his past human rights achievements as U.S. Senator Vice President and ambassador to Japan.

The floor was then opened to community members, who asked Mondale to state his ideas on issues from immigrant's rights to the Israeli-Palestinian situation to domestic violence. The last question came from a Vietnam Veteran who asked Mondale: "How can we help you?" Mondale responded by saying, "I can't do it, I can't organize or raise money. I have no time. I need your help—really need your help. I can't make it without your help."