Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Minnesota double count out: Al Franken and Norm Coleman too close to call

Some drama in the slugfest between Al Franken and Norm Coleman for Minnesota's Senate seat.

First - Minn. Senate race called by AP
The AP called the race for Coleman Wednesday morning, with the incumbent leading Franken by 762 votes out of more than 2.9 million cast. Coleman and Franken each have 42 percent of the vote; independent candidate Dean Barkley finished with 15 percent.

Then - The AP uncalled the race. It’s not over.
The Associated Press called the race for Coleman Wednesday morning, then retracted that call in a rare reversal. Coleman leads Franken by 725 votes out of more than 2.9 million cast. Coleman and Franken each have 42 percent of the vote; independent candidate Dean Barkley finished with 15 percent. A recount could last into December, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State office.
Read Al Franken's statement on "the excitement":
... Let me be clear: This race is too close to call, and we do not yet know who won. We are lucky enough to live in a state with built-in protections to ensure that in close elections like these, the will of the people is accurately reflected in the outcome.

This has been a long campaign, and it’s going to be a little longer before we have a winner. Senator Coleman, Senator Barkley, and I have done a lot of talking. Minnesotans have waited a long time to have THEIR say. And thanks to our state’s laws, we will eventually understand precisely what they have said.
HotAir does a great job explaining the complicated and convoluted recount process in Minnesota - How does a Minnesota recount work?

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