Coleman holds pre-dawn rally in city

The pre-dawn breakfast crowd at the Brainerd Perkins was a little livelier than usual this morning, thanks to a last minute campaign tour by U.S. Senate candidate Norm Coleman.

The Republican candidate stood on a chair and addressed an exuberant crowd of about 175 at about 3:45 a.m. today with some supporters coming from as far away as Crosby, said Perkins Service leader Cindy Ebinger.

Ebinger said some of those in attendance were part of Coleman's campaign entourage and others were area residents. She said she helped hold the door open and was able to shake hands with the former St. Paul mayor.

The rally lasted only about 15 minutes before Coleman and his staff headed to similar scheduled stops at Perkins restaurants in Little Falls and St. Cloud. He was scheduled to conclude his marathon day with a 6:55 a.m. rally in St. Paul before heading to the polls.

Coleman and Democratic candidate Walter Mondale are the front-runners in a tight race for Minnesota's U.S. Senate seat. Ebinger said the unusual political rally made her work shift go faster but it didn't necessarily sway her vote.

"Honestly, I was already set on Mondale," she said.