DES MOINES – Ed Fallon was alone in his car, headed for Decorah and a discussion on land-use issues when a phone call brought him the news that Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone, a mentor and role model, had died in a plane crash.

“I had a lot of time to think,” said Fallon. “He was somebody I knew personally and respected deeply.”

Wellstone, a populist maverick and college professor, had stunned the political world with an outsider, grassroots campaign that ousted a sitting Republican senator. Fallon had been in the Legislature for a dozen years and was becoming increasingly frustrated and looking for the next step.

“When I heard that about Wellstone, I thought you know, if he can go from college professor to the United States Senate, perhaps the journey from state representative to governor is not that long,” said Fallon. “I realized I can do it, I realized it was very much possible but I needed to start right away.”

That was in October of 2002. Within months, Fallon had launched his bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

“In January of 2003, I started raising money,” he said. “In February of 2003, I started knocking on doors.”

Fallon, 48, is wrapping up his seventh term in the Legislature, representing an inner city district on the near north side of Des Moines, where he built a reputation as a community activist, an occupation he concedes doesn’t pay very well.

His call for universal health coverage is rooted in the years he spent as a husband and father of two, struggling to get by without health insurance.

A graduate of Drake University with a degree in religious studies, Fallon is an accomplished musician.

“When I was in school I was studying religion and I thought about going into the ministry and then I realized I would never really be comfortable in the confined environment of a church,” said Fallon.

“I guess you could say I found my ministry in trying to be that person who can help people in need,” he said.

After graduating, Fallon got involved in community advocacy issue but found himself frustrated.

“By 1992, I got tired of seeing my community get neglected,” he said.

“I got tired of seeing the voices of the poor and minorities and a lot of other marginalized constituencies neglected,” Fallon said.