Politics - Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) and Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) will make separate campaign stops in Minnesota, as a political mourning period for the late Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone gives way to an all-out push for Republican Senate candidate Norm Coleman.

The White House disclosed the trips on Thursday in routine campaign schedule updates. Cheney is to appear at a Republican rally in Hermantown, Minnesota, on Friday and Bush is to visit Minneapolis on Sunday, two days before next Tuesday's congressional and state elections.

First lady Laura Bush will also travel to Minnesota to make a campaign stop on Saturday for Coleman, the former mayor of St. Paul, Mrs. Bush's office said.

The race for the Minnesota U.S. Senate seat has long been one of the key contests in this year's battle for control of the narrowly divided Senate, and it was thrown into confusion when Wellstone died last week in a plane crash.

Former Vice President and U.S. Sen. Walter Mondale, 74, was nominated by state Democrats on Wednesday, a day after Wellstone's memorial service, to replace Wellstone on the ballot. Mondale led Coleman by 8 points in a poll published on Wednesday.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) brushed aside a question on Mondale on Wednesday to focus on Coleman in a way that suggested Mondale's age could be an issue.

"The president thinks that Norm Coleman represents the future, has a vision for the future of Minnesota, and he strongly supports Norm Coleman," Fleischer said.

-- Anonymous, October 31, 2002