Doran's advisor, John Wodele, says that the announcement will be made at the construction site of Oakdale Village Shopping Center, a retail project Doran's firm is developing up on the northwest corner of Interstate 94 and Inwood Avenue. Wodele, once the spokesman for former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, is Doran's consultant.

Doran, 47, a self-described "centrist Democrat," will challenge child-safety advocate Patty Wetterling and Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar for the Minnesota DFL (Democratic Farmer Labor) party's nomination in the 2006 US Senate race. US Rep. Mark Kennedy, a Republican from Minnesota who was a chief financial officer for Minnesota-based Department 56, is running for the Senate seat as a Republican. Doran supports the concept of a balanced budget amendment to force the federal government to act more fiscally responsible.

With his business partner, Robert Muir, Doran has developed and owned more than three million sf of shopping centers in Minnesota. Since 1991, when he assumed responsibility for all development, leasing, construction, finance, legal and portfolio management, Doran has grown the Robert Muir Co. from three employees to more than 60 employees, and from several million dollars in revenues, to nearly $100 million. In 2002, Doran started Muir Doran Construction, a full-service general contracting firm.

Doran said one of the keys to this fast growth was his negotiation of one of the state's first building and trade union no strike work agreements with a developer.

Prior to joining the Robert Muir Co., Doran held finance and real estate development positions with Bank of America, Vantage Cos. and Robert Larsen Partners. He is a past president of the Minnesota Shopping Center Association. Doran's wife Maria is a lawyer and is employed by Robert Muir Co. as general counsel. The Dorans live in Eden Prairie.

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Developer Kelly Doran To Run for US Senate

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