Al Franken takes lead in MN Senate race, +101 and growing

[gasperc]

Source: Star Tribune

The intense scrutiny of "voter intent" resumed this morning by a five-member board charged with directing Minnesota's recount in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democratic rival Al Franken, and the first rush of ballot rulings has unofficially put the challenger in the lead.

On Thursday, the State Canvassing Board reviewed Coleman's challenges of hundreds of Election Day ballots, and the day's work saw the unofficial margin between the candidates dwindle to within a handful of votes.



Read more: http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate /

---

Al Franken has just taken the lead in the MN senate race according to the Star Tribune, link below


http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate /

You can follow the canvassing board live at this website or at the uptake.com website.

many of Coleman's challenges are being rejected as frivolous.

[madinmaryland]

1. +46 and growing!!

[47of74]

2. Say it Bill! Say it! Come on, Bill, you can do it...Senator Al Franken!

[thereismore]

3. 62 now. Yeeeeeee! nt

[thereismore]

4. 63 now... how come there are 5770 remaining? nt

[creeksneakers2]

18. Very few following the race are paying attention

to all those ballots. Al Franken has had a great couple of days but there's still a long way to go. This isn't over yet.

[thereismore]

5. 75... I can't keep up! nt

[FSogol]

6. 86 now! n/t

[harun]

7. I'll be really pumped if he get's the win but I am holding out hope until it is

all complete.

[gasperc]

12. Finally the pressure is on Coleman

and the asshole has the FBI breathing down his neck, couldn't happen to a slimier son of a bitch

[Narkos]

8. GO AL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[harun]

9. > 100 now

[eyepaddle]

10. I was just coming here to post this, but I'm glad to see I don't have to!

FYI, the last number was 98!

[gasperc]

11. Franken's challengers team did an excellant job and made the difference

Coleman's focused and wasted alot of effort on frivolous challenges. I think this pushed Franken's team to be both more agressive and methodical in thier challenges, opening up the opportunity for Franken to unexpectedly pick up more votes than expected with his challenges. Didn't Franken win some 17% of his challenges?

17% of 500 votes is 85 which may be Frankens winning margin. Coleman, you were an asshole, which forced Franken's team to step up thier game, way to step it up!!!

[Joe Bacon]

13. Say it, Bill-0 the Clown, Say "Senator Al Franken"!

[gasperc]

14. Coleman challenged "thank you for counting my vote"

and lost. I wonder if Al Franken can get that voter card, at the very least, bronze a copy of it.

[nyc 4 Biden]

15. Franken up by 120! eom

[rateyes]

16. 122

[notadmblnd]

17. bub-bye Normie

Guess all that cosmetic facial and dental surgery was for nothing? But you know what, Bubba in the next cell might find you real attractive.

[Strelnikov_]

19. +129 . . . See live feed for current tally n/t

[Strelnikov_]

23. +135 n/t

[Strelnikov_]

25. +140 n/t

[Strelnikov_]

29. +146 n/t

[Strelnikov_]

30. I would give this one to Coleman n/t

[Strelnikov_]

31. They did n/t

[Strelnikov_]

32. +148 n/t

[Strelnikov_]

36. +159 n/t

[Strelnikov_]

37. +164 n/t

[Strelnikov_]

43. +190 n/t

[Strelnikov_]

60. +262 n/t

[harun]

20. It looks like this will go to the U.S. Senate, where they will pick Franken.

[gauguin57]

21. Just before noon EST, Franken is plus 126, according to Star Tribune.

Go Al Go!

[gauguin57]

22. Now Al up 132.

This is exciting!

[gauguin57]

24. Al up 136!

Woo hoo!

[Strelnikov_]

26. Go team go n/t

[gauguin57]

28. Al, you're good enough, you're smart enough, and gosh darnit, people (of Minn.) LIKE you!

Al up 146 ... can I get a woot! woot!

[gauguin57]

27. Freepers so upset, one of them actually posted the entire Declaration of Independence.

????

[bullwinkle428]

34. My wet dream involves the Freepers declaring their independence on

some rocky, deserted island, far, far away from the U.S.A.!

[scytherius]

73. HAHA Mine too! n/t

nt

[onehandle]

40. "...the plan. Keep “counting” until the Democrat wins. This is what they tried in 2000 in Florida."

Posted at Free Republic. Enemies of Democracy and well known hate group.

[humbled_opinion]

75. Hate Sites like that

Should be shut down. They damage true democracy with their flawed views of the Constitution.

[cbc5g]

33. The projected Franken win number keeps getting smaller though...

http://senaterecount.startribune.com/ballots/

[jhrobbins]

64. I went to the site you linked and scrolled down to the contested

ballots, clicked on it like it said and for the life of me, I cannot see what they (Coleman) are contesting-nothing seems out of order.

[krispos42]

35. That 5-person panel....

... is the Secretary of State, two Minnesota Supreme Court Justices, and two Minnesota District Court judges.


It's not 5 yahoos from the back of beyond, just FYI.

[Jackpine Radical]

44. In the FReeper mind, the entire state of Minnesota

is in the the back of beyond.

[maxsolomon]

38. The Lesson: DON'T BACK DOWN

oh, and the supreme court of the united states fucked us over. in 2000, 'natch.

[NoodleyAppendage]

69. Too bad Kerry didn't learn that lesson earlier. n/t

J

[ronnykmarshall]

39. 166 + Franken!!

Go AL, GO!

[eleny]

41. The Bob & Ray duo back at the tv station is a hoot

[Deep13]

42. O'Reilly blood pressure 170/110 and growing nt

[Wetzelbill]

47. nicely done

[xxqqqzme]

45. +191

This is fun....love seein' rethugs getting slapped down one vote at a time and in real time.

[Idealism]

46. 193! Eat Shit BillO

[ejbr]

48. You know why this is happening don't you?

Cuz Al is good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like him!

[Janice325]

49. Al just went +202

'cause he's good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like him.

[krispos42]

50. "Franken won. Suck it, cons"

There was a guy who's been posting on the Strib's website, in the comments section after an election story, "Coleman won, suck it, libs".


My subject line is dedicated to him.

[NJCher]

51. what a treat!

I just struggled in from a snowstorm and this was the first thread I saw!

Yippee!!

What a great reward. I feel lucky to be reading this, sipping a hot chocolate, instead of stuck in traffic on the side of the mountain.

Woo hoo!!!!






Cher

[sellitman]

52. Isn't there anything the Supreme Court can do to stop this travesty ?

Counting the votes is against everything 50% of the opoulation wants and expects.

This is terrible. Poor Rush Limbough. Poor Shaun , poor o'Reilly.

What a self respecting nuckle dragging Repiggy to do?

[4_Legs_Good]

53. Are they simply mowing through the Coleman challenges now, so we shouldnt' be getting excited

It seems that theese are all all Coleman challenges, which will naturally lean towards Franken, but when they do the Franken challenges, things will tend toward Coleman.

Just not 100% sure what's going on. I just tuned in, but it seems to be what I'm seeing.

David

[Stellabella]

56. I think the Franken challenges are done.

That's why the Strib and AP have projected Franken the winner.

[4_Legs_Good]

59. Ahhh, that would be sweet, sweet candy!

:crosses fingers:

David

[Naythan]

77. yes, but

after reviewing many of the challenges on the Strib site, it really did appear that there was something weird going on. coleman's campaign appeared to challenge (frivolously) votes for Franken, simply so that it lowered his numbers and the camp could run around saying 'look how much of a lead we have, Franken should concede.' On the other hand, Franken's challenges seemed to be more thought out and valid. Sure, some of Franken's challenges will go to Coleman, but looking at the number of frivolous challenges by Coleman that have gone to Franken, I surmised that Franken was never really that far behind to begin with.

It's all theatre, and that's not something we like here in Minnesota. (We do have an appreciation for fine art, just not political theatre.)

Just my thoughts.

[Cleita]

54. Just heard on the news this won't be over until Monday.

I'm biting my nails as it is.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

55. Thank goodness! nt

[Joey Liberal]

57. I love it! nt

[eyepaddle]

58. 250 and counting. Out.Standing

I could only pound through about the first fifty or so comments, but I have to say--right-wing tears of rage are like candy to me.

Ha Ha!

On edit: Oops, I was one vote too high.

[PolyD]

61. Wow

This is so fun to listen to. The mojo workin' and owned by Franken.

[Mad_Dem_X]

62. Whoo hoo!

YES!!!!

[xxqqqzme]

63. Oh yea - +265!

[Jackpine Radical]

67. WooHoo--I just saw that!

[bdamomma]

65. yes beat Norm!!! Al

[Maestro]

66. What great news!

Al is so good for MN!

[Jackpine Radical]

68. Next time it won't be close.

Franken by a landslide in 2014!

[Hulk]

70. Final numbers PROVE something important....

Should Al Franken win this election by any margin, I see this as proof once again that the repug machine will do anything possible with manipulating the results of an election to win. Remember....coleman initially had a lead of several hundred...but the challenging of ballots was the issue. "WIN no matter what you have to do!" "Suppress the votes!" "Take away the voice of who ever you need to, so long as you can win in the end!"

I really felt all along that if there was a question with the ballots, they should do what is reasonable to contact the voters and have them clarify their vote. I realize we are talking about thousands of Minnesotans, but isn't that better than just tossing them into the garbage?

[scytherius]

71. Agreed! n/t

nt

[Frank Cannon]

72. Another positive thing to come out of this...

is that I believe Senator Al Franken will have a different perspective on Republican election shenanigans. He was always a bit of a skeptic about election fraud. Now I can see him turning into a champion against it. (I hope.)

[knixphan]

79. seconded!

[Dangerously Amused]

80. Yep. Well said.

[Ganja Ninja]

74. Bye Bye Norm.

You are out of here by Jan 6th.

[underpants]

76. knock on wood

Still waiting for the final final FINAL count

[Fluffdaddy]

78. They will be fighting this out all the way to 2009

[ElectricGrid]

81. I understand the disdain for BillO and even Pubs in general but

How any self respecting person can root for Franken is beyond me. I just don't get it. This is akin to Galehgar taking the spot.

[Jackpine Radical]

83. Thanks for checking in with your incisive commentary.

[ElectricGrid]

84. sorry to offend... I just think there have to be

hundreds of folks who would represent the find folks of MN with more class than AL.

[maxsolomon]

87. Define "Class"

is Norm Coleman "classier" than Al Franken?

[barbtries]

88. i don't know how you can say that

he'll make a great senator.

[Stargleamer]

82. But according to Silver, Franken has to get to 430. . .

to win by 40, given the number of withdrawn challenges that still have to be counted:

<http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/12/franken-appears-... >

I hope so much he doesn't fall short.

[yellowcanine]

85. REMEMBER FLORIDA 2000!

Someone had to say it.

[barbtries]

86. this is exciting

go Al go. he will make a great senator imo

[Up2Late]

89. Have they finished counting as of tonight?

Or do they have more to do tomorrow or Monday?

[sellitman]

90. Stay out of small planes Al.

Pleeeeeeeeeeeez!