Two Minneapolis DFL heavyweights — former City Council president Jackie Cherryhomes and Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin — are hoping to revive their once promising political careers with a run for mayor.

Cherryhomes, who’s been busy lobbying for local developer (and former City Council member) Steve Minn and others, lost her bid for a fourth term in City Hall back in 2001, when Natalie Johnson Lee upended her in what was the political upset of the year. She then made headlines by apparently shredding most of her files before Johnson Lee was able to set up shop. A longtime Northside power broker, Cherryhomes told us a few months after the election that she had no intention of returning to electoral politics, but, according to knowledgeable sources, she now sees an opening for a pro-business, moderate DFLer in what promises to be a crowded field — whether or not two-term incumbent Mayor R.T. Rybak chooses to run for re-election.

The entry of Cherryhomes into the race will force current council president Barb Johnson to take stock of her own political aspirations. The two share a moderate Northside political base that has not stacked up very well against Southside liberals in recent elections. Still, Cherryhomes does have some Southside connections through her lobbying work and her alliance with former Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton. But she’ll have to defend her mismanagement of the city budget and her affection for corporate tax giveaways — two things that simply aren’t playing very well with voters these days.

After losing by a 65–35 landslide to Rybak in 2005, McLaughlin is defying any number of political observers (including this one) by considering another run. While his liberal credentials and record of public service are exceptional (though his vote on the Twins stadium dismayed many of his otherwise loyal supporters), he was never able to dent Rybak’s armor the last time around. Indeed, several veteran political observers questioned whether he was up to the task of running a competitive campaign after facing so many creampuff opponents for his county commissioner post.

There is an old adage that says Minneapolis voters don’t return their mayor to office more than once (Don Fraser served for 13 years, the longest tenure in the city’s history), so another attempt by McLaughlin may make some sense. And, of course, Rybak himself has given no hints about his own political aspirations (there is much speculation about a run for governor in 2010). But, if the mayor chooses to stick around in City Hall for another four years, McLaughlin will have to put together a much more cohesive campaign than he did the last time around, when his focus on education and public safety gave voters no compelling reason to change leadership.

In any event, the entry into the race of these two heavyweights may have the effect of stifling less-serious contenders in the months ahead. Though, until Rybak announces his intentions, it’s likely the list of wannabees will grow longer rather than shorter.