FREDERICKSBURG - From Waterloo Courier paperboy to chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, Ron Carey has always had a knack for closing the sale.

Delivering papers to the eastern part of Fredericksburg from 1967 to 1971 taught him valuable lessons in hard work and persistence. Any money he collected came directly from subscribers, which sometimes meant pounding on a lot of doors.

"Sometimes you had to knock on a door five times before you found them home," he said.

Knocking on doors convincing people to do something is not so different from politics, he said.

Carey took an early interest in politics. He always was the kid in school who read political journals while the other boys pored through the pages of Sports Illustrated. And living in Iowa meant Carey had plenty of chances to wet his feet in politics at the grassroots level.

At 13, he worked for his first campaign, dropping literature on doorsteps for a young state representative candidate named Terry Branstad, who went on to serve four terms as Iowa governor. Five years later Carey participated in his first caucus, supporting Ronald Reagan in 1976.

He moved to Minnesota to attend college at Northwestern, a private Christian school where evangelical leader Billy Graham once served as president.

Carey then joined Intuit, a small software company that sold a tax program called Turbo Tax. Over 15 years, he helped the company grow into a $2.5 billion business.

The skills he perfected there, creating teams that work together and selling and marketing a product, transferred perfectly to the job of a building a political party. Carey was selected chairman of the Minnesota GOP in 2005.

In Minnesota's legal battle over the Senate race between Democrat Al Franken and Republican incumbent Norm Coleman, Franken holds a small lead and Coleman's legal options are dwindling.

Yet Carey delivers an unmistakable message - Coleman will prevail. Just check his resume: "Made investment and marketing decisions that led to the re-election of a Republican Governor in 2006, U.S. Senator in 2008 and victory in each top-tier targeted congressional races."

Obviously Coleman has not won re-election, but Carey said his point is that his candidate will win.

"I truly believe when this is all over, Norm Coleman will be elected," he said.

Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.