"Mark Dayton dropping out of Senate reelection ?"
Agreed, the MN Dems have a deep bench.
Though Collin Peterson is VERY Conservative, and if he gets the nomination he would be even more conservative than Ben Nelson in Nebraska so it would be like picking up half a seat in the senate if Peterson wins the election.
However I doubt Peterson would last long in the Dem primary.
Dayton's decision hurts Cantwell, Stabenow, and Jeffords the most, because NRSC can pour more resources into those states.
Win or lose the seat, I am still glad, because we officially know that we are rid of this dangerous nut.
You are correct. I could see Collin Peterson running for Senate and current state senator Dean Johnson running for Peterson's House seat.
Peterson is too Conservative to get the nod, and I can't imagine why Oberstar would would want to give up his seniority in the House (32 years by Jan '07) to become a junior Senator of the minority party. I don't know what the record is, but I've tended to observe that rare few House members that have served more than 16 or so years (effectively "lifers") care to make the jump to the Senate (as we all know, it's a different culture in both bodies).