Devastating blow to the Franken campaign
This couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, and we're not shedding tears over this. It's a joke that Al Franken is even this close to Norm Coleman, and it calls into question how Minnesotans could fall for this joke of a candidate. Amanda Carpenter has the skinny on the newest chapter in the recount drama:
Minnesota's powerful canvassing board ruled 5-0 on a motion NOT to accept rejected absentee ballots in the closely-watched recount between GOP incumbent Norm Coleman and comedian-turned Democratic senatorial candidate Al Franken in a high-profile meeting.
Some Republicans worried Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and canvassing board member was not going to vote for the motion, but he did in the end.Coleman is currently leading the recount by a narrow margin. This request to the board was considered a last-ditch effort by the Franken campaign to gain more ballots. Roughly 12,000 absentee ballots were rejected in Minnesota.
In the interim, both campaigns may increase the number of "challenged" ballots to try to put more votes in their column. Legal challenges are also expected by whoever loses the race after the final results are announced.The board's five members are comprised of two state supreme court justices, two district court judges and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. Secretary Ritchie initiated a discussion to have legal representatives from the Coleman and Franken campaigns to “get together and find a way to reduce those number of ballots challenged.”
"I have a big question about more work for the county election officials," Richtie said.
All the board members were concerned about the burden of potentially reviewing all 12,000 rejected campaigns. There seemed to be unanimous support for the campaigns to scale back requests for review. State Supreme Court Justice Eric Magnusan said, “Both campaigns have a responsibility to be thoughtful in the challenges they raise and speaking simply on my own behalf, the fewer challenges I have to look at the more carefully I will consider those challenges."
So the rejected ballots won't be accepted. These were rejected for a number of reasons, and the mental gymnastics the Franken campaign tried to pull on a number of these ballots isn't being accepted.
When we saw how close this race was going to be, and we saw some of the questionable shenanigans regarding the ballots (finding them in an election official's car, locating 100 ballots in Hennepin County, etc.) we warned our friends, allies, and associates that not only will this election be televised, it'll also be litigated. That's the next step for Franken, and it's one we're sure he's geared up for.
Coleman's lead, the last we heard yesterday, was around 230. That's close, and our readers know what we say when it comes to a close election.
"If it's not close, they can't cheat."
Publius II
Minnesota's powerful canvassing board ruled 5-0 on a motion NOT to accept rejected absentee ballots in the closely-watched recount between GOP incumbent Norm Coleman and comedian-turned Democratic senatorial candidate Al Franken in a high-profile meeting.
Some Republicans worried Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and canvassing board member was not going to vote for the motion, but he did in the end.Coleman is currently leading the recount by a narrow margin. This request to the board was considered a last-ditch effort by the Franken campaign to gain more ballots. Roughly 12,000 absentee ballots were rejected in Minnesota.
In the interim, both campaigns may increase the number of "challenged" ballots to try to put more votes in their column. Legal challenges are also expected by whoever loses the race after the final results are announced.The board's five members are comprised of two state supreme court justices, two district court judges and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. Secretary Ritchie initiated a discussion to have legal representatives from the Coleman and Franken campaigns to “get together and find a way to reduce those number of ballots challenged.”
"I have a big question about more work for the county election officials," Richtie said.
All the board members were concerned about the burden of potentially reviewing all 12,000 rejected campaigns. There seemed to be unanimous support for the campaigns to scale back requests for review. State Supreme Court Justice Eric Magnusan said, “Both campaigns have a responsibility to be thoughtful in the challenges they raise and speaking simply on my own behalf, the fewer challenges I have to look at the more carefully I will consider those challenges."
So the rejected ballots won't be accepted. These were rejected for a number of reasons, and the mental gymnastics the Franken campaign tried to pull on a number of these ballots isn't being accepted.
When we saw how close this race was going to be, and we saw some of the questionable shenanigans regarding the ballots (finding them in an election official's car, locating 100 ballots in Hennepin County, etc.) we warned our friends, allies, and associates that not only will this election be televised, it'll also be litigated. That's the next step for Franken, and it's one we're sure he's geared up for.
Coleman's lead, the last we heard yesterday, was around 230. That's close, and our readers know what we say when it comes to a close election.
"If it's not close, they can't cheat."
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 10:49 AM
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