Franken claims Coleman's lead is down to double digits

[Idealism]

Source: The Hill

By Michael O'Brien
Posted: 11/21/08 01:18 PM
Al Franken’s campaign claimed Friday that Sen. Norm Coleman’s (R-Minn.) lead has fallen into the double digits as the state continues its recount of the hotly contested Senate race.

The Franken camp is using a tally from their election observers, which they claim is more accurate than that of Minnesota’s secretary of state.

The Franken team has volunteers stationed at every recount location throughout the state. And they claim those observers have reported the Democratic candidate has made up enough votes to cut Coleman's lead to fewer than 100 votes.

But Franken’s tally included challenged ballots where neutral, local officials ruled on voter intent. The officials' determination can be overturned by the state’s Board of Canvassers, but Franken’s campaign said the official determinations are a reliable baseline.

The secretary of state's office is awaiting confirmation from the Board of Canvassers on the disputed ballots before adding them to the official tally.

“The ballots that have been counted are slightly redder than what has been counted. There is a slightly bluer hue to what is left to be counted,” said Franken campaign attorney Marc Elias. “We believe that Al Franken has gained enough votes to say that Norm Coleman’s lead is in the double digits.”

Elias also accused Coleman’s campaign of inappropriately challenging the ballots of voters who split parties in their votes.

“In at least some instances, there are challenges that are being lodged that are clearly frivolous,” Elias said.

The campaign said that 51.1 percent of the vote had been recounted through last night, a number Franken claimed included more Republican counties than Democratic counties. Franken communications director Andy Barr claimed 40,000 more Coleman ballots have been counted than Franken ballots, and that more Franken ballots are left to be recounted than Coleman ballots.

The recount is expected to go into December.

Read more: http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/franken-claims-colemans-lead-is-down-to-double-digits-2008-11-21.html

---

Could it be shrinking that fast, under 100? Stay tuned

[tridim]

1. Stay frosty Franken Camp..

Coleman isn't going to like this development at all. :evilgrin:

[educatedidiocy]

2. .

it's looking good for Al!

[truthisfreedom]

11. Yay! Easy to stay frosty in MN right now... it's 20F! Brrr!

Franken's headed to Washington!

[JeanGrey]

17. It's 19 here in Dallas, GA.

[aquart]

3. 99 uncounted votes on the floor, 99 uncounted votes...

Pick one up, examine it more, 98 uncounted votes on the floor.

[Dogmudgeon]

4. Even if Al loses ...

... the month-long attack of diarrhea suffered by Coleman will have been worth it.

That said, I think that the odds favor, ever-so-slightly, the election of Senator Franken (DFL-MN).

--p!

[Idealism]

5. I hope Al wins, Coleman looks like Frankenstein 2.0 and hes a jackass

[tinrobot]

6. What a nail biter!

Rooting for Franken to win by 7.

[ronatchig]

7. Someone correct me but

is this sentence nonsense or am I losing my ability to comprehend English?

"The ballots that have been counted are slightly redder than what has been counted".

[DavidDvorkin]

8. It didn't make any sense to me, either.

[Idealism]

9. What that means is the ballots recounted typically are from Republican counties

and the Democratic leaning counties are yet to be counted

[spooky3]

18. me too - I think there was a "not" omitted after "has"

[No Elephants]

21. Maybe it should have read "redder than what has not been counted." ???

[bobd0]

10. If Franken is ahead at the end of the re-count by even one vote

he needs to call a press conference and declare victory immediately.

[struggle4progress]

12. With 64 percent of the 2.9 million ballots recounted, Coleman is ahead by 120 votes.

Recount, Day 3: Coleman holds lead
Norm Coleman is hanging on to his whisker-thin lead over Al Franken. With 64 percent of the 2.9 million ballots recounted, Coleman is ahead by 120 votes.
By KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, Star Tribune
Last update: November 21, 2008 - 11:44 PM

... As of Friday night, Republican Sen. Norm Coleman was hanging on to his whisker-thin lead over Democrat Al Franken. With 64 percent of the 2.9 million ballots recounted, Coleman was ahead by 120 votes, down from 136 at the end of Thursday and from the unofficial lead of 215 signed off on Tuesday by the state Canvassing Board ...

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/34880634.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:U0ckkD:aEyKUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

[Judi Lynn]

15. This is TENSE! Thanks so much for the number. n/t

[struggle4progress]

16. Unfortunately, the press reports suggest that some of tha ballot challenges

by both candidates are frivolous -- and several counties won't finish until December, after which there will probably be several thousand contested ballots for the judges to examine, swamping the margin between Franken and Coleman. So the main question now may be which candidate wins the ballot contest fight, and we won't know the answer for several more weeks

[dysfunctional press]

20. with 64% of the vote counted, Al has only made up 44% of the difference...

I hope for Al's and ALL our sakes that the trend changes.

[No Elephants]

22. The story says that the votes that have not been counted yet are from bluer areas.

[struggle4progress]

13. Recount Day 3: Franken, Coleman push ballot challenges past 1,500

By Chris Steller 11/21/08 9:16 PM

... Ballots that failed to satisfy Coleman’s crew today numbered 404, for a three-day total of 778. Franken’s forces found 387 ballots questionable, for a grand total (so far) of 747 ...

http://minnesotaindependent.com/18311/recount-day-3-franken-coleman-push-challenged-ballot-stack-past-1500

[struggle4progress]

14. Good news for Senate recount junkies: Some officials will be working through weekend

By Doug Grow | Friday, Nov. 21, 2008

... By Saturday night, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said he expects that 75 percent of the nearly 3 million ballots will have been counted ...

Then, there is the matter of how the state's canvassing board will deal with all of those rejected absentee ballots. The board is to meet Wednesday morning in the State Office Building to begin serious discussions of how to decide the fate of the rejects.

Beyond that, there is a growing pile of challenged ballots. Entering Saturday's counting, that pile had grown to more than 700 ballots and Ritchie expects the total to grow to around 1,600 when the recount is concluded. A Dec. 16 meeting has been scheduled by the canvassing board to discuss challenges ...

The Franken folks showed ballots from southeastern Minnesota that had been challenged by Coleman volunteers for no other apparent reason than a voter had voted for "McCain-Palin'' for president and "Franken'' for Senate ...

http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2008/11/21/4788/good_news_for_senate_recount_junkies_some_officials_will_be_working_through_weekend

[spooky3]

19. thanks for the update - go AL!!!