Longshot Senate candidate Cohen drops out of race

Jim Cohen
Jim Cohen has dropped out of the race for the DFL nomination for U.S. Senate.
Jim Cohen campaign Web site

(AP) - Lawyer and environmental activist Jim Cohen says he's ending his underdog bid to be the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate this year.

Cohen says he's been frustrated that fellow candidates Al Franken and Mike Ciresi got most of the attention. He says that's made it difficult to raise funds and garner press coverage.

He won't immediately endorse Franken, Ciresi or the other candidate, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer - but says he may do so in the next few days.

Cohen was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in Connecticut in 1986. He moved to Minnesota in 1994 to work on American Indian causes and has engaged in other activism.

Cohen based his Senate campaign on a call to reduce partisan tension between Democrats and Republicans. He says he's happy to see Senator Barack Obama seize on a similar message, and he endorsed Obama's presidential bid.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)