Editing Rod Grams (section)

==U.S. Senate==
After [[David Durenberger]] announced he would not seek reelection, Grams surprised many by announcing, just months into his first term in the U.S. House, that he would run for the Senate. Grams faced opposition for the Republican endorsement from State Senator [[Gen Olson]], [[Bert McKasy]] (Durenberger's former chief of staff), and [[Doug McFarland]]. During the party endorsement process, the Grams campaign closely aligned itself with supporters of [[Allen Quist]], who was challenging incumbent Governor [[Arne Carlson]] for reelection in the 1994 [[Minnesota gubernatorial election, 1994|gubernatorial race]]. Weeks before the state Republican convention, McFarland dropped out of the Senate race after endorsing Quist for governor and joining his ticket as Quist's running mate.

After numerous ballots at the convention in St. Paul, Grams won the Republican endorsement over Olson and McKasy. He also won the Republican primary against [[Arne Carlson|Arne Carlson's]] Lieutenant Governor [[Joanell Dyrstad]], who had been replaced as his running mate by State Senator [[Joanne Benson]]. In [[United States Senate election in Minnesota, 1994|the general election against]] Democratic Farmer Labor candidate [[Ann Wynia]] and [[Independence Party of Minnesota|Independence Party]] candidate [[Dean Barkley]], Grams won, 49% to 44%.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. SENATE ELECTION 1994 |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-11-10-1994314097-story.html |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=10 November 1994 |access-date=7 January 2020}}</ref>

Grams ran for reelection in 2000, losing to [[Mark Dayton]]. During the campaign, Grams's wife Christine Gunhus was revealed to have written anonymous disparaging emails about Grams's potential Democratic rival [[Mike Ciresi]] from her home computer.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Declan McCullagh |url=https://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2001/06/44567 |title=The Wrong Way to Do Dirty Tricks |magazine=Wired |publisher=Wired.com |access-date=2013-10-09}}</ref> She received a fine and suspended sentence for violating political advertising regulations.<ref>{{citation |url=|title=Poli Sigh. (Christine Gunhus gets fine and suspended sentence)|publisher=|date=2001-08-01|access-date=|url-status=}}</ref> The Grams campaign also ran a commercial during the campaign featuring Grams's mother, Audrey Grams, that ended with her saying, "Uffda, vote for Rod."