Al Franken Election: Coleman's Lead Shrinks To 174 Votes

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports:

The Great Minnesota Recount kicked off Wednesday with masses of volunteers for Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken moving into a fresh phase of the struggle: eyeballing the first of 2.9 million ballots, ready to pounce on anything that looked questionable.

By day's end, with about 18 percent of the vote recounted, Coleman continued to lead Franken -- but by only 174 votes, notably narrower than the unofficial gap of 215 votes at which the recount had begun. Franken's gain owed much to a swing of 23 votes in the Democratic stronghold of St. Louis County -- the result of faintly marked ballots and older optical scanners that failed to read the marks.

The figures represent a Star Tribune compilation of recount data reported to the secretary of state and gathered by the Star Tribune.

Read the whole story.

Read more about Al Franken here and more about the recount here.

Comments

[Plowboy]

I see that my posts are being displaced! That was for the NYT article on the Clinton "leaks."

[Meggie]

Join the crowd.
But thanks for the warning. I'll stay away from the clinton leaks because I'm sure I'd have the same problem afterwards!

[taddles]

Wrong thread.

[freshnotbitter]

Time to install the voice activated wind speed indicators in the Senate. Franken may just win this one. Watch Al "blow the house down" in Washington as he takes over the Wellstone chair of public speaking.

[Plowboy]

The facts are these:
There are "leaks".
These "leaks" build up expectations that Hillary will get the position she wants (regardless of her pretenses.)
The "leaks" make things more difficult for Obama.
The "leaks" are from the Clinton camp. And Bill C. is speaking out on how he will do whatever it takes. (When he says whatever "they" want, I wonder who "they" are.)
I recall Hillary's great support from Murdock and Scaife.

Add it up and you will easily see why I do not trust HRC and will be very disappointed in Obama if he gives her the SoS position. (One can use the claim that she hasn't made up her mind to let her save her face when she loses by saying she decided not tro accept!)

BUT please, let us have a different kind of SoS, one devoted to international co-operaation, justice, and what is good for America. And only an idiot doesn't know that that means change, and what kind of change. HRC is not that change.

[mongus]

Amen.

[theMightyT]

wrong thread.

[MalloMel]

The leaks are probably made up by the MSM, just so they have something sensational to talk about. After all, that's how they make their living.

[PeterGSW]

He could do worse than remiond folk of Nicholson. Go Al!

[Yarrr]

Who is it that has been picking these awful pictures of Franken?

Oh I get it, he used to be a comedian so we have to show teh funnee.

[rzan1]

He is kind of homely, you must admit.

[EllisWyatt]

Counting votes, Franken style:

http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/whistleblower/2008/11/19/one-challenge-headed-to-the-state-so-far-in-plymouth/

He really is a comedian.

[taddles]

So challenging a ballot is now funny? It's somehow cheating ifa ballot is challenged and sent to a 5 person bi-partisan group for final determination of the intent of the voter so this voters ballot is not invalidated??? If you don't want to actually count the votes and you just want to ridicule Franken why not just say so.

[gaja]

Love Al Franken - but this pic makes him look just like the "Joker" ;D

[EllisWyatt]

And, your point is?

[gaja]

My point is - Huffpo staff, stop making Al look like a "cartoon character" --I'm sure there are better pics out there... Sheesh - is that so controversial?

[senorplaid]

... and the Cesar Romero one, to boot!

[UltraClassic]

The votes will be "found." That much, I'm sure of.

[taddles]

I'm sure you mean "counted". No votes are just "found" unless you are implying that the counting is rigged and the MN Sec. of States office is corrupt.

[MalloMel]

Yes, I agree, and wherever the Republicans have tried to hide them.

[PES]

Nate Silver 538.comm) wouldl quite rightfully ridicule this back-of-the-envelope analysis, but if the current recount trend continues, I project Al Franken winning by... 12 votes!!! Whatever happens, this is going to be a nail-biter.

Go Al....

[Golfer59]

"Count baby Count". Come on Al we're pulling for you.

[Emmory]

maybe if we wait long enough Coleman won't have ANY votes.

[SaintAlphonso]

Coleman is an awful senator. Why would anybody vote for him? Oh, of course, MN re-elected Witch Bachmann. Go Al! We need more smart people in the Senate, not more repubs.

[Crozier]

In that part of MN, any elephant will do.

[pegbo]

It was only one fraction of MN. Unfortunately, I did not get to vote against her.

[iPolitics]

Vote on these ballot changes. Pretty cool:

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2008/11/19_challenged_ballots/

[JadedAggie]

Wow I never realized filling in a bubble was so ridiculously complicated. Seriously, maybe they need to teach a voting tutorial because some of those ballots are just bizarre.

[pegbo]

Seriously, but I do like the lizard people one.

[Deesel]

All of the posters railing against Franken's campaign for it's challenges should look at this. Actually, everyone should look at this--the ridiculous challenges are happening on both sides.

[Puzes]

Looks like a mess to me ... with some errors on all sides.

[hortonhearsawho]

So, someone can count in Minn....

[dac253]

hopefully they can count better than they fill out a fcukin ballot

[Robocalledbynitwits]

http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/whistleblower/2008/11/19/one-challenge-headed-to-the-state-so-far-in-plymouth/

The loons just get loonier. Franken challenged the ballot above. Unph*kingbelievable.

[JadedAggie]

I think it will be counted and should be counted, but after seeing a long list of ballots that were challenged I have to say it really isn't surprising. There are quite a few people that did vote and then cross out their vote or wrote No next to the person. I don't believe that the X mark is meant to cancel their vote, but it is a remote possibility.

[situationcritical]

Yeah, that's a Coleman vote, clearly.

However, I REALLY ADMIRE Al Franken for going totally Rove Republican on Coleman's ass!

[Deesel]

Franken didn't, a member of his campaign did.

It may be hard for people to believe, but maybe the person really didn't want to vote for either of them and after realizing he filled in the bubble tried to 'X' it out. Maybe he wanted to vote for Coleman and so put an 'X' in the oval; realizing it needed to be filled in further he hastily did it on the way to turn in the ballot. The whole point of the recount is sort out things like this.

[taddles]

That ballot is the only one that was challenged in that district all day by the Franken campaign. No need to demonstrate your lack of knowledge of a legitimate process that allows a legitimate challenge of a ballot to go up to a legitimate higher authority to make a legitimate final determination. Unless of course you're not interested in a legitimate final outcome and just want to do the standard Republican thing of disenfranchising the vote since you can't win by fair practices.

[eggman]

I'd want to see the entire ballot. If the other ovals are filled in neatly that would call into question this apparent vote for Coleman.