He was running against Coleman and Humphrey!
Not sure how you consider either of them less damaging...
(although I do have some new found respect for Coleman.)
Remember, Norm had just switched from the DFL to the GOP less than six months before running for governor. Everyone knew what Skip Humphrey was. We just didn’t know who Norm was, and that’s about the best headline you could write about how Jesse won the governor’s job in MN.