Q: What do you think Duluth needs to do to bolster its economy?
A: One thing I like about Duluth is its focus on housing stock and I think one part of the stimulus package that is really great is investing in retro-fitting homes and that kind of thing. ... I think that what Duluth has to also wait for the general economy, the macro-economy to pick up because, obviously as a port, it is affected by the economy in general. ... But, the real things we have to do long-range are get a handle on health care costs and all those kind of things that make it possible for small businesses to flourish. ... But, your mayor is focused on getting the economy strengthened in Duluth and I'll do everything I can to work with him.
And I'll tell you, this is a time to do infrastructure projects like sewage, like drainage. I know there's a project to try to prevent overflow drainage going into the lake, and I think that'd be a great idea.
Q: Why spend two days in the Iron Range and at six parades? Do you see that region as playing an important role in your election?
A: I love going up to the Range on the Fourth. Yeah, I think the Range played a role in my election, but more importantly it plays a big role in the economy of the state. I just love the Range, I love Rangers. And (Rep.) Tommy Rukavina would be very mad at me if I didn't go up there (laughs). That alone -- to avoid the wrath of Rukavina and [Sen. David] Tomassoni -- is a reason to go up there. ... But, no, obviously the Range is hurting now.
Q: Do you think the election process in Minnesota should be changed in any way?
A: I think we should be proud of our process. I think it's been incredibly thorough and transparent and that we should be proud of the integrity of our election officials. One of the nice things was during the oral argument with the Supreme Court, one of the justices asked the lead attorney, Joel Friedberg, for Sen. Coleman, 'Was there any fraud in this?' And he said, 'No, absolutely not.' ... One thing I'd like to see: We're different from almost every other state in that usually the winner of a recount ... is certified and allowed to be seated provisionally. ... In this case I would have been able to take my seat with the rest of the class in the 111th Congress and I would have been working for the last six months.
Q: The election did show that there is a very divided electorate, obviously. Will you do anything to bridge that divide?
A: Oh yeah. I want people who didn't vote for me to know that I plan to be working for them.
Q: What will you do to reach out to those people?
A: Do my work. Put my head down and do my work. Do the work of getting health care for every Minnesotan. Do my work to make sure that their kids get a good education, prepare them for the 21st century economy. Do my work to make sure that we're encouraging renewable energy and creating jobs and really, it's about doing our work. Also, constituent service. Our state director, Lana Peterson, worked a long time for Chairman Oberstar. And she's fabulous, and I'm really grateful for the chairman for giving us his blessing for her moving over to us. ... For veterans who are coming back and need to figure out their veterans benefits, or somebody's Social Security checks got lost ... constituent service is a very important part of the job, and we have a tradition of doing that, a very good tradition. ... Norm Coleman did a great job in constituent service, and I want to continue that.
Q: Have you spoken with President Obama since the state Supreme Court ruling, and if so has he asked you to play any specific role in the senate?
A: He called me to congratulate me, and we talked for about three or four minutes. We didn't talk about a specific role for me. We, he said that I stood up under pressure, under a lot of stress for a long time very well. And I said that when I get to Washington I'd teach him how to deal with stress (laughs).
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