The Al Franken-Norm Coleman Senate race is finally over. After eight months of ballot counting, charges, and counter charges Minnesota's Supreme Court ruled 5-0 declaring Franken the winner. And Coleman conceded evidently deciding not to appeal to the nation's highest court. Through it all no one has followed the story more closely than The Uptake, a patchwork of community groups and organizations committed to making citizen journalism work. We speak to Executive Director Jason Barnett about the Franken decision, how the race was covered, and what The Uptake will be focusing on now that it's over.The Al Franken-Norm Coleman Senate race is finally over. After eight months of ballot... more
Here is the video of Norm Coleman conceding to Al Franken in the Minnesota Senate Race.
Norm Disputed the election results and it has been caught up in the courts for months.Here is the video of Norm Coleman conceding to Al Franken in the Minnesota Senate... more
It's been 225 days since the November 4th election, when Minnesotans first went to the polls to select their representative in the United States Senate. It's been another 165 days since January 3rd rolled around, when all of the other 2008 winners were sworn into office. But still, almost six months into the new year, residents of the Land of 10,000 Lakes await the seating of their second Senator. Despite setback after setback and an all-but-closed window of opportunity for victory, former Republican Senator Norm Coleman presses on in a Quixotic quest to keep his Democratic challenger, former commedian Al Franken, from taking his seat in the US Senate.
What's intriguing is that for a brief moment during the recount process when Coleman was still ahead, the beleagured Senator publicly urged Franken not to burden the voters of Minnesota with a lengthy recount process. And yet, here we are, nearly six months later, with nothing but a continued fight to show for the vat amount of time and money spent on this contest. What's evenmore interesting is that when the Coleman-Franken showdown is compared to another famous recount process- the Bush-Gore melee of 2000- it was Republicans who were publicly condemning Democrat Al Gore's efforts to have the courts weigh in on his election to the presidency.It's been 225 days since the November 4th election, when Minnesotans first went to the... more
Republican Norm Coleman must pay Democrat Al Franken $94,783 to cover court costs for his appeal of Minnesota Senate election results.
A Ramsey County court administrator entered the judgment Wednesday. It results from the two-month trial that ended with Coleman 312 votes short of Franken.
Follow link for the rest of the story from the AP at The Huffington Post,Republican Norm Coleman must pay Democrat Al Franken $94,783 to cover court costs for... more
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn on Wednesday suggested that former Sen. Norm Coleman's long fight was almost over, saying that he's support his old colleague "until he decides to hang it up one way or another."
Now Roll Call has reported that Coleman himself appears ready to hang it up pretty soon. While party leaders are prepared to back him in a fight to the Supreme Court, sources close to Coleman say that if he loses in the Minnesota Supreme Court he will accept the result.
Follow link for the rest of the story by Rachel Weiner at The Huffington Post.National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn on Wednesday suggested... more
The end is near in the U.S. Senate contest. That might seem difficult to believe given that the fight has now dragged on for nearly seven months, but the bottom line is that Republican Norm Coleman is running out of legal options.
Election-law experts who have tracked the case closely are unanimous in believing that Coleman’s appeal before the Minnesota Supreme Court will fail — and that it will likely be by a unanimous decision. That will clear the way for Democrat Al Franken to be seated in the U.S. Senate.
Guy-Uriel Charles, a law professor at Duke University, said in an interview that Coleman has a simple problem: He’s asking the justices to ignore state rules pertaining to which absentee ballots are counted. “What he’s asked the Supreme Court to do, as well as what he asked the district court to do, is to ignore Minnesota law as it is written,” Charles said. “There didn’t seem to be a single justice on the court for whom this works.”
Follow link for the rest of the story By Paul Demko at The Minnesota Independent.The end is near in the U.S. Senate contest. That might seem difficult to believe given... more
The oral arguments just finished at the Minnesota Supreme Court, in Norm Coleman's appeal of his defeat at the election trial, with Coleman's lead attorney Joe Friedberg arguing that serious constitutional issues mean the trial court's legal conclusions should be overturned and more previously-rejected absentee ballots from Coleman's selected list put into the count. Franken's side obviously argued differently. For this post, let's focus on the Coleman side.
It's always a tricky business to read clues into the questions that judges ask the lawyers during these proceedings -- despite some basic assumptions about how this works, judges can surprise you. But if we just go by the basic assumptions, it didn't look good for Coleman, with the judges asking pointed questions of Friedberg that at certain points amounted to ridicule of him for putting on a shoddy case.
At one point, Justice Christopher Dietzen went over Team Coleman's written offers of proof -- filings of proposed evidence that an attorney makes when a trial court won't admit it as official evidence, but he wants to preserve it for future appeals. "I've never seen an offer of proof like this," said Dietzen, complaining that the offers didn't actually identify specific potential witnesses or what their presumed evidence would have been been -- only continued arguments that "a substantial number" of ballots exist. Dietzen added that "the rules of evidence, the rules of civil procedure apply. Now why is this offer of proof not inadequate, in that we don't have admissible evidence that can show whether you've met your burden?"
Follow link for the rest of the By Eric Kleefeld at TMPDC.comThe oral arguments just finished at the Minnesota Supreme Court, in Norm Coleman's... more
A key question hovering over the Minnesota recount fight: How much longer can Norm Coleman get big money GOP donors to keep funding a legal effort that looks less hopeful by the second?
It’s getting tougher, one of Coleman’s top fundraisers just conceded to me. But Dirk Van Dongen — who heads a group called “Team Coleman,” which is made up of some of the biggest players in D.C.’s permanent establishment of business lobbyists — vowed that Coleman would be fully-funded to the end.
Follow link for the rest of the story by Greg Sargent at Who Run's Gov.A key question hovering over the Minnesota recount fight: How much longer can Norm... more
For the past five months, Senator Amy Klobuchar has been operating alone, without a second senator from her home state to help handle the responsibilities that come with the office.
The grind, she admits, has had its affect. As Al Franken and Norm Coleman enter the next stage of an already drawn out recount process, Klobuchar has watched as the work has piled up.
Follow link for the rest of the story by Sam Stein at The Huffington Post.For the past five months, Senator Amy Klobuchar has been operating alone, without a... more
DNC Chairman Tim Kaine penned a letter to Tim Pawlenty on Tuesday, asking the Minnesota Governor to persuade Norm Coleman to concede and, short of that, sign the certification of Al Franken's election once the state's Supreme Court makes its final ruling.
Follow link for the full story by Sam Stein at The Huffington Post.DNC Chairman Tim Kaine penned a letter to Tim Pawlenty on Tuesday, asking the... more
The FBI is investigating allegations that former Senator Norm Coleman had clothing and other items purchased on his behalf by a longtime friend and businessman Nasser Kazeminy, according to a source in Minnesota who was interviewed recently by federal agents.
E.K. Watkins, a spokesman for the Minnesota FBI, would neither confirm nor deny the report. The source provided details of the interview to the Huffington Post, in addition to copies of business cards left by the agents.
Follow link for the full story by Sam Stein at The Huffington Post.The FBI is investigating allegations that former Senator Norm Coleman had clothing and... more
Republican activists remain confident that Minnesota’s Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty will help Norm Coleman continue his fight to be declared the winner of the state’s deadlocked 2008 Senate race.
Pawlenty “will fight like hell” to delay certifying Democrat Al Franken the winner of the race, should Coleman, a Republican, lose his appeal pending before the state Supreme Court and move to take his case to the federal courts, said Sarah Janecek, a Republican commentator and publisher of the newsletter “Politics in Minnesota.”
So far, Pawlenty, whose signature is required to certify a state election, has evaded questions about whether or not he plans to certify a winner of the pivotal race if Coleman’s challenge is unsuccessful and he decides to fight on.
Despite increased pressure from Democrats that the race be called in Franken’s favor, the Republican activists contend Pawlenty is prepared to allow the legal process to play out even if an appeal delays a resolution of the race.
“My sense is the governor is not going to issue a certificate of election until all reasonable opportunities for an appeal have been exhausted or Norm Coleman has not decided to pursue a further appeal,” agreed Chris Georgacas, a former Minnesota Republican Party chairman.
Republicans in the state acknowledged, however, that Pawlenty’s hands are likely to be tied by the state Supreme Court, which could require the governor to sign the certificate. Last month, a state trial court declared Franken the winner of the race by 312 votes.
Pawlenty may, however, face unhappiness from the state’s independents and Democrats if he plays a role in delaying certification.
A Minneapolis Star-Tribune poll released April 27 found that 73 percent of respondents want Coleman to concede if he loses the Supreme Court appeal, including a majority of Republicans.
Follow link for the rest of the story by By Emily Cadei at CQ Politics.Republican activists remain confident that Minnesota’s Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty... more
In an interview with Katie Couric on the CBS News webcast after Obama's press conference Wednesday, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) said he doesn't hold out much hope for Norm Coleman in the protracted Senate race in Minnesota.
Discussing the significance of Arlen Specter's defection to the Democratic party, Ryan said, "This is the 60th vote."
"If Al Franken wins," Couric offered.
"Yeah, and most of us think that that's gonna happen," Ryan said.
WATCH (exchange happens at around 1:00):In an interview with Katie Couric on the CBS News webcast after Obama's press... more
This is a great article that brings to light many issues that aren't talked about. It gave me a whole new perspective on the whole situation that Minnesota is in.This is a great article that brings to light many issues that aren't talked about. It... more
Three judges soundly rejected Norm Coleman's attempt to reverse Al Franken's lead in the U.S. Senate election late Monday, sweeping away the Republican's claims in a blunt ruling Coleman promised to appeal.
After a trial spanning nearly three months, the judicial panel dismissed Coleman's central argument that the election and its aftermath were fraught with systemic errors that made the results invalid.
"The overwhelming weight of the evidence indicates that the Nov. 4, 2008, election was conducted fairly, impartially and accurately," the panel said in its unanimous decision.
The panel concluded that Franken "received the highest number of votes legally cast" in the election. Franken emerged from the trial with a 312-vote lead, the court ruled, and "is therefore entitled to receive the certificate of election."
Speaking to reporters outside his downtown Minneapolis condominium, Franken, flanked by his wife, Franni, said he had "no control" over what Coleman does next but said he would urge his opponent not to appeal, which would delay his certification. "I am honored and humbled by this close victory," he said. "And it's long past time we got to work."
In an interview earlier in the day, Coleman said he believes "thousands" of rejected votes should have been counted.
Coleman legal spokesman Ben Ginsberg said the ruling denies many valid votes by applying a stricter standard to determining eligible ballots than local officials applied during the recount.
"This order ignores the reality of what happened in the counties and cities on Election Day in terms of counting the votes," Ginsberg said, asserting that Coleman must appeal to assure that valid votes are counted. Coleman's lawyers have 10 days to file an appeal with the Minnesota Supreme Court.
But experts who read the panel's 68-page ruling say it effectively attacks some of the very arguments that Coleman would use on appeal.Three judges soundly rejected Norm Coleman's attempt to reverse Al Franken's lead in... more
Politicians routinely invoke the word of God. It seems a requirement of the job to claim God speaks to them about every lame little thought that enters their squarish, well-coiffed heads. Norm Coleman is the latest to answer the celestial cell phone and hear the Big Guy.Politicians routinely invoke the word of God. It seems a requirement of the job to... more
Week three of Republican Norm Coleman's U.S. Senate recount contest started Monday with attorneys for Democrat Al Franken objecting to the way Coleman is presenting his case.
The three-judge panel overruled the objection after a 20-minute, midmorning break. The judges agreed to meet with attorneys from both sides later today to figure out how to expedite the process.
Coleman's attorneys are working through about 4,700 rejected absentee ballots, one at a time, as a way to present evidence in hopes that judges will add them to the tally.
In his objection, Franken attorney David Lillehaug said Coleman's attorneys aren't following the trial rules.
Lillehaug said Coleman's attorneys are supposed to identify in advance their argument for why an individual ballot should be accepted. He also said the process of reviewing ballots individually is "extraordinarily inefficient."Week three of Republican Norm Coleman's U.S. Senate recount contest started Monday... more
In what TPM's Eric Kleefeld describes as "a truly brutal moment, one that could undermine the credibility of Norm Coleman's whole case," the Republican fomer Senator's political director was called to testify about doctored evidence, as revealed by Al Franken's attorneys last week, which they'd submitted in their U.S. Senate election contest against the apparent-winner in Minnesota.
By the end of the day today, the first official day of the trial, the 3-judge panel threw out the tainted evidence --- photocopies of rejected absentee ballots where the Coleman camp had either removed written comments from election officials as to why they were rejected, or left in text added by the campaign itself --- and allowed Coleman's team to subpoena and then re-submit the actual ballot envelopes.In what TPM's Eric Kleefeld describes as "a truly brutal moment, one that could... more
Justice Alan Page has chosen a three-judge panel to hear Norm Coleman's election contest.
They are:
* Elizabeth Hayden of Stearns County who was appointed by DFL Governor Rudy Perpich in 1986;
* Kurt Marben of Thief River Falls who was appointed by Independent Jesse Ventura in 2000, and
* Denise Reilly of Hennepin County who was appointed by Republican Arne Carlson in 1997.
Meanwhile Democrat Al Franken's campaign today says it's answering Norm Coleman's lawsuit with its own list of wrongfully-rejected ballots that it wants the court to consider.
Coleman filed a lawsuit last week contesting the Senate election and told the court it could prove election officials double-counted some ballots and under-counted others.Justice Alan Page has chosen a three-judge panel to hear Norm Coleman's election... more
ST. PAUL (AP) — A new court filing in Texas seeks to suspend a lawsuit alleging that a friend and donor of Republican Norm Coleman tried to improperly steer money to the then-U.S. senator.ST. PAUL (AP) — A new court filing in Texas seeks to suspend a lawsuit alleging that... more
