Terri Bonoff Photo: Wikipedia

Terri Bonoff Photo: Wikipedia

Terri Bonoff is not running for Congress — yet. But the Democratic state senator, who lost a tough endorsement battle to Ashwin Madia in 2008, is seriously considering a challenge to freshman Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen.

“I’m certainly not being lighthearted about it,” Bonoff tells the Minnesota Independent. “I love public service and I have a lot of work to do, whether it be for this state or at the national level.”

Opinions vary on how vulnerable Paulsen will be in 2010. The 3rd district doesn’t track decisively red or blue. President Obama won it by six percentage points, while Norm Coleman carried it by eight points over Al Franken. Paulsen surprised political observers by handily winning the open seat last year in what was one of the most closely watched (and heavily funded) congressional races in the country. Bonoff, however, still believes it’s winnable.

“It will depend on the environment and the candidate,” she says. “There is no given.”

No other Democratic challenger has emerged to take on Paulsen. Madia has ruled out another run. State Rep. Steve Simon, whose name has also been floated as a possible candidate, is ruling out a run. “Not me,” he says.

Raising sufficient funds to mount a credible challenge to Paulsen will be difficult. With many Democratic incumbents facing tough reelection fights, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and other national groups will likely pick their takeover targets sparingly. But Bonoff says she doesn’t feel any pressure to make a decision soon.

“The public doesn’t pay attention until a long time from now,” she says. “People find a way to raise enough money regardless of when they get in. I think that’s a false urgency.”