Former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman is swearing off a 2014 run for office but that does not mean Minnesotans will not see him around.
Coleman, who said this week that he would not run against DFL Gov. Mark Dayton next year, plans to stay involved in the state's politics through work the Minnesota Action Network, a branch of his national American Action Network. The American Action Network is a prominent and well-funded "center right" organization that, with its affiliates, has spent millions in recent years.
Although he gave the possibility of a gubernatorial run "serious thought," Coleman decided that he could not ramp up the Minnesota Action Network while considering a candidacy, he told the Star Tribune.

"I couldn't do both," he said. If he was a potential candidate, he acknowledged, the group would be perceived as a vehicle for his personal political ambitions.
The Minnesota group, like its national affiliate, will be involved in conservative outreach, potentially reframing the Republican debate.
"We have to be reaching out rather than narrowing, the immigration debate is a good example," he said. "We are a party with a diminishing base – older white voters."
Coleman, who tweeted on Friday that "purity police (are) killing the party," said that so-called litmus tests are not working for Republicans.
"We've got to be talking about people that are important to them. Their jobs, their kids' education and not just talking about the constitution," the former U.S. Senator said. "I want to be part of those efforts."