By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota died in a plane crash earlier today. Perhaps no other family or campaign can relate more than Senator Jean Carnahan's.
Just two years ago her husband Mel Carnahan was killed in a plane crash - while in a tight senate race - just before the election.
This afternoon Senator Carnahan cancelled a news conference in Springfield and then issued the following statement:
"My heart goes out to the family of Paul and Sheila Wellstone and the others who have been lost today."
Carnahan went on to say "Senator Wellstone was a champion for the working men and women of our country. He always spoke from his heart and stayed true to his beliefs. A proud and passionate voice for working people has been silenced today. I will miss him greatly."
Her Republican challenger for the US Senate, Jim Talent, also offered his sympathy for the Wellstone family, friends and the state of Minnesota.
He says he and Wellstone often disagreed when Talent was in Congress, but he always appreciated Wellstone's passion and
sincerity.