Senators pushing to name federal building in Minneapolis after Paul Wellstone

20 years after his death in plane crash, there is a push to name the federal building in Minneapolis after Senator Paul Wellstone.

October 25, 2002, a plane carrying Wellstone, his wife Sheila, daughter Marcia, and three staffers crashed near Eveleth. The two pilots also died.

His son David said it’s an honor to see Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith carrying on the legacy of his father’s work. And his family is honored to have them support the naming of the building.

“We all do better when we all do better,” he said on Tuesday from the federal building, echoing what his father would say.

Last month, Senator Klobuchar along with Senators Smith and Chuck Grassley introduced legislation to designate the Federal Building in Minneapolis as the “Paul D. Wellstone Federal Building,” to honor Senator Wellstone’s legacy.

The Federal Building currently houses offices for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Labor Relations Board, and the U.S. Department of State Passport Agency.

Klobuchar said there is bi-partisan support for honoring Wellstone’s memory.