Remember the Al Franken decade? It seems that it's taking that long to count the votes in his ever-so-close election against Norm Coleman for a U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota.
Here is an update from the Pioneer Press, a St. Paul newspaper. Minnesota authorities have apparently conceded that they won't be able to finish their recount by the time the new Senate convenes next month.
According to this Minnesota Public Radio report, Governor Tim Pawlenty could appoint a senator, if the result remains undecided after Coleman's current term ends. Pawlenty is a Republican, and it seems likely that he would appoint his fellow Republican Coleman.
I'm not sure of all the legalities involved but, in this New Hampshire case to which the Minnesota election has been compared, the Senate seat remained vacant for some months. The governor did not make an interim appointment until the candidates had agreed to hold a new election. Does state law govern that, and is there a statutory difference that would allow a Minnesota governor to go further than that New Hampshire governor did, and make an interim appointment at the beginning of the congressional session? Any comments that could shed light on that would be appreciated.
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my understanding is that the mn state house has the responsibility of establishing that the Senate seat is vacant.
as the mn house is majority Democrat, it is highly unlikely that they'll declare the seat vacant. the reason being that the Republican governor could fill the seat with mr. coleman - thus denying us six years of sophomoric idiocy from the very unfunny mr franken.
in the mean time: mn has one senator, and washington is minus one senator.
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