Ohio Senate Candidate Channels Wellstone

Tyrone Yates is a State Representative from Ohio who just announced he’s running for the United States Senate in 2010. Faced with long odds and formidable opposition (the state’s Lt. Governor and Secretary of State have both already announced candidacies), Yates has decided to emulate Minnesota’s own Paul Wellstone:

Yates, who set up the committee on Wednesday, Feb. 25, said he wants to model his campaign after the successful effort that vaulted the late Paul Wellstone of Minnesota into the U.S. Senate.

Yates, 55, said he’d like to find an “old school bus that we can green up, weld a platform on the back, stick an American flag on it, put ‘Yates for the Senate’ on the side and ride across Ohio.”

Its too soon to say if Yates’ similarities to Wellstone extend beyond their shared affinity for green buses, but certainly something to keep an eye on.