Former coach Dale Brown eyes Senate race
North Dakota seat up in 2004
From Jonathan Karl
CNN Washington Bureau
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Sen. Byron Dorgan, left, at a recent news conference with Sen. Ron Wyden.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former basketball coach Dale Brown has told national and local Republican leaders he may run for the U.S. Senate in North Dakota against incumbent Democrat Byron Dorgan, according to several sources.
"He has the desire to do it, he just has to see if he can make it work," said former North Dakota Gov. Ed Schafer, who says he has spoken to Brown about running. "He'd be a great candidate."
"It is something he is seriously considering," said another North Dakota Republican, who said Brown is expected to make his decision "within the next month or two."
The election would be in 2004; Dorgan is seeking his third term.
Brown coached Shaquille O'Neal at Louisiana State University, which he coached for 25 years and twice led to the Final Four before retiring in 1997. He was born and raised in North Dakota. Earlier this year, Brown said he wasn't interested in running for the Senate, but several Republicans who have spoken to him recently say he has changed his mind and is now considering a run.
Dorgan spokesman Barry Piatt is skeptical: "He seriously considered running for the House. He seriously considered running for the Senate once this cycle. So we're nonplussed."
Republicans believe a high-profile candidate like Brown would give them a chance of beating Dorgan, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the Senate. George W. Bush beat Al Gore in North Dakota by a 28-point margin.
Brown, who hasn't lived in North Dakota for nearly three decades, would be portrayed by Democrats as out-of-touch with the state. But Republicans say he owns property in North Dakota and has been active their politically and philanthropically.
"We think Dale has visited the state more than Byron Dorgan in the past three years," said one state party official.
