became unclear whether Grams would run as a Republican. In an interview, he expressed disappointment at the perceived failings of the party, going as far as to wonder whether he could still call himself a Republican or vote for Republican candidates. Grams considered a 2010 run for governor of Minnesota, saying, "I'm so damn unhappy with the Republicans right now ... I'm so unhappy with the candidates that we have I could puke. I wanted to get out there and mix it up." But Grams endorsed Republican Tom Emmer in the 2010 campaign for governor. Emmer lost the election to Mark Dayton. Illness and death On September 4, 2013, it was announced that Grams had been battling colon cancer since 2012 and was receiving hospice care at his home. He died on October 8, 2013, aged 65, at his home in Crown, Minnesota. Electoral history References Further reading The Senatorial records of Rod Grams are available for research use at the Minnesota Historical Society. External links 1948 births 2013 deaths American Lutherans American television news anchors Deaths from cancer in Minnesota Carroll College (Montana) alumni Businesspeople from Minnesota Deaths from colorectal cancer People from Princeton, Minnesota Republican Party United States senators from Minnesota Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century Lutherans