 Paul Wellstone ( DFL ) was elected to the United States Senate in 1990 , defeating incumbent Rudy <unk> ( R ) in one of the biggest election upsets of the decade . In 1996 , he defeated <unk> again in a rematch of the 1990 election . Wellstone was known for being a liberal activist , as evidenced by his books How the Rural Poor Got Power : Narrative of a Grassroots Organizer , describing his work with the group Organization for a Better Rice County , and The Conscience of a Liberal : Reclaiming the Compassionate Agenda . He explored a possible presidential bid in 1998 , telling people he represented the " Democratic wing of the Democratic Party " . On October 25 , 2002 , he was killed in a plane crash near Eveleth , Minnesota , along with his wife , his daughter , three campaign staffers , and the two pilots . 
