MN Sen Recount (UPDATE: Stuart Smalley certified winner, lawsuit forthcoming)

[ChrisFromNJ]

Al Franken just gained another 10 votes. He is now only behind Coleman by 163 votes.

[ChrisFromNJ]

Interesting to see how Coleman is challenging around 70 more ballots than Franken.

[ChrisFromNJ]

I like Franken's chances if he can to within 50 by the time the recount is over and the canvassing board gathers to look at the challenged ballots.

[ChrisFromNJ]

Coleman is up by 3% in the current recount.

http://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/20081104/SenateRecount.asp

One would guess that Franken's best precincts have yet to be recounted. Despite that, he has gained close to 100 votes over Franken. I'm not sure what to read into this, but it certainly isn't bad news for Franken.

[ChrisFromNJ]

Also, the challenges are just about even now. 414 for Franken and 409 for Coleman.

[ChrisFromNJ]

Coleman up to 180 vote lead.  YEAH BABY!

Umm... you realize Coleman just challenged  a large amount of ballots in Ramsey and Hennepin Counties, right?? Of course Coleman's margins will go up. Those Franken ballots just went up to the "undecided" column, so to speak, to wait for the canvassing board to rule on them. The Coleman ballot challenges in these counties were likely frivilous, but it doesn't matter... if Coleman can end the recount close to 100 votes up before the canvassing board gets together and rules on the challenged ballots, he can claim victory and assert that if Franken wins due to the challenged ballots that the partisan SOS stole the election away from him.

[ChrisFromNJ]

Team Franken says they're down 84

Are they including challenges in this too?

i.e. Are they including the frivolous Coleman challenges that they know they'll get back in their count?

[ChrisFromNJ]

Now why in the world would you join the New York Republican Party on account some specific dude happened to have won a majority of the Minnesota DFL's Senate Primary and then is subsequently elected by the Minnesota electorate?

Because Sam is being the attention whore he usually is and wants us to waste a thread or two massaging his ego.

[ChrisFromNJ]

The Tribune has 2,633 of 6,655 of the actual challenged ballots on their website for viewers to vote on to determine intent. I haven't had a chance to look at any of them , but if the reader reported results are any indication, Norm Coleman is in a world of trouble.

http://senaterecount.startribune.com/

[ChrisFromNJ]

After 122 ballots, all of which were challenged by Franken:

+78 Coleman, +14 Franken, +30 Other

A live feed of the canvassing board: http://www.twincities.com/ci_11244046?nclick_check=1

[ChrisFromNJ]

There is very little doubt in my mind that Franken will win this race. Coleman has around 500 more challenges than Franken, and Coleman is not getting nearly the mileadge out of Franken's challenged ballots as he would hope.

[ChrisFromNJ]

After 122 ballots, all of which were challenged by Franken:

+78 Coleman, +14 Franken, +30 Other

A live feed of the canvassing board: http://www.twincities.com/ci_11244046?nclick_check=1

10% success rate on challenges is phenomenal, I think.

Is this a SRS?

SRS?

[ChrisFromNJ]

Ok I've decided that I'm more interested in finding out Sam's super mega secret and making him grumpy enough to become an official Republican than I am against Franken, so I've switched my internet support the (D).

Well it seems somewhat obvious that he's going to leave the Forum if Franken wins.

We can only pray.

[ChrisFromNJ]

Al is only down 115 right now.

Norm should start packing his bags.

[ChrisFromNJ]

I don't see how there is anyway Norm wins by 1 after the challenges are counted given the amount of outstanding challenges left and the fact that most of them are Coleman challenges.

[ChrisFromNJ]

AL FRANKEN TAKES THE LEAD, UP BY 11

[ChrisFromNJ]

I see Coleman was a WAY bigger embarrassment to my state than Franken.

Of course.  But Coleman doesn't come across as personally distasteful to the average voter.

This is your opinion. And I'm pretty sure that is irrelevant in the grand scheme. What does matter is what Minnesota thinks of Al Franken, and he, at this point, has received more votes than Norm Coleman.

[ChrisFromNJ]

Senator Lanslide Franken.