Sen. Paul Wellstone at his inaugural party in 1991. Photo: Steve Kagan/Getty Images
It was 20 years ago today that a small plane carrying Democratic U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone crashed near Eveleth, Minn.
- Wellstone, his wife Sheila, their daughter Marcia, three aides and two pilots died in the crash.
The big picture: Wellstone was a larger-than-life figure in Minnesota politics and is still revered in the DFL for being a populist and a progressive.
Flashback: The fatal crash occurred just 11 days before the 2002 election. Wellstone, who had been running for a third term, was replaced by former Vice President Walter Mondale on the ballot.
- Mondale lost narrowly to Republican Norm Coleman.
What's new: The late senator's family has launched a virtual walkthrough of the Wellstone Memorial and Historic Site in Eveleth.
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