Minnesota Sen.-elect Coleman won't take office until January

cnn.com ^ | Friday, November 8, 2002 Posted: 10:47 PM EST

[luv2ndamend]

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- Minnesota Sen.-elect Norm Coleman said Friday that he will not take office until January 7, leaving interim Independent Sen. Dean Barkley in office until the next Congress convenes.

"While I am eager to begin serving the people of Minnesota, it appears that an earlier swearing in will not give any added seniority for Minnesota," Coleman said in a statement. "I will look forward to beginning my service for this great state on January 7th."

Coleman's decision could have implications for who controls the Senate during a "lame duck" session that begins next week.

Currently, there are 49 Republicans, 49 Democrats and two Independents -- Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont, who caucuses with Democrats, and Barkley, who has not announced who he will support.

Barkley was appointed to the Senate by Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura to serve out the remainder of the term of Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone, who died in a plane crash October 25. Coleman, a Republican, then defeated Wellstone's ballot replacement, former Vice President Walter Mondale, in the November 5 midterm election for a full six-year term.

There was some question under Minnesota law whether Coleman would take over from Barkley as soon as the election results were certified on November 19 or wait until January 7, when the new Congress convenes.

Coleman's statement said the decision to wait until January came after "an extensive inquiry and review" by his transition team.

Also complicating Senate control during a "lame duck" session is what happens in Missouri, where Republican Jim Talent defeated Sen. Jean Carnahan for the remaining four years of the term her late husband, Gov. Mel Carnahan, who won posthumously in 2000 shortly after dying in a plane crash.

Under Missouri law, Talent will take over as soon as the results are certified, rather than waiting until January. Once he replaces Carnahan, Republicans will have control of the Senate, regardless of which party Barkley supports.

State law in Missouri calls for local canvassing boards to meet "as soon as practicable" to certify the results. Secretary of State Matt Blunt has said that process could take two weeks or longer.

However, in January, once the next Senate is sworn in, Republicans will have control, with at least 51 seats. Democrats will have at least 46 seats and 47 votes, with Jeffords' support.

Two Senate seats remain in limbo:

•In South Dakota, the election night vote count put Democrat Sen. Tim Johnson less than 600 votes ahead of his GOP challenger, Rep. John Thune, which could trigger a recount once results are certified.

•In Louisiana, Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu will face state Elections Commissioner Suzanne Haik Terrell, a Republican, in a December 7 runoff triggered when Landrieu failed to capture a majority on Tuesday

[luv2ndamend]

Still a toss-up!

[Question_Assumptions]

In South Dakota, the election night vote count put Democrat Sen. Tim Johnson less than 600 votes ahead of his GOP challenger, Rep. John Thune, which could trigger a recount once results are certified.

I think the Republicans need to start looking at the voter rolls and election records now, to see if they can find fraudulent votes. I don't think that just a recount will do it here.

[luv2ndamend]

I agree!

[Mo1]

I think the Republicans need to start looking at the voter rolls and election records now, to see if they can find fraudulent votes

If I recall isn't there also some kind of federal investion going on about the registration of voters??

Wonder if they will look further into it

[Theodore R.]

If Trent has his way, the SD "investigation" will be about as successful as Woody Jenkins' 1997 claim of fraud in New Orleans, surprise, surprise! Trent believes in the old song: "Don't Rock the Boat, Baby."

[Theodore R.]

Barkley was appointed to the Senate by Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura

I wonder why Ventura couldn't have waited until after the election and then appointed the winner. That way, the new MN senator would have had a slight seniority jump over the other new senators. But that's Jesse Ventura, it's always about him, not his state.

[jdege]

I'd rather see the election go to Johnson and see Democratic officials serving felony terms than see Thune win and nobody do time.

[zip]

I will always wonder if Jumpin' Jeffords understands how badly he hurt America. May his soul burn in hell.

[Mo1]

Lott can kiss my ......


Sorry .. I don't like nor trust him

[mlo]

I wonder why Ventura couldn't have waited until after the election and then appointed the winner. That way, the new MN senator would have had a slight seniority jump over the other new senators.

Coleman says in the article, "While I am eager to begin serving the people of Minnesota, it appears that an earlier swearing in will not give any added seniority for Minnesota,"

I would guess that he found that Senate rules wouldn't give him extra seniority. Under MN law he should be seated as soon as he is certified, but the main practical reason for doing so would be for seniority. If he isn't getting any anyway he's probably decided not to argue the point, or he's also found that there is a problem with being seated sooner in the Senate rules.

[WorkingClassFilth]

I'm from Minnesota. Barkley is a jerk. He'll hang in the Seante as long as he can for no other reason than to screw up the seniority ranking. Ventura is perfectly OK with this too. Barkley is Ventura's boy and this is B's 15 minutes of national fame. Forget it. Coleman is going to see the office only when the law requires - not before.

[skr]

I'd rather see Thune win AND "see Democratic officials serving felony terms". We don't need any Daschle Jr.'s in the Senate.

[gore_sux_2000]

My guess is Jesse thought the Dems would win, and since he was so miffed at them for the rally, he appointed an Independant to mess things up for them. Only problem was, Norm won. But yes, its always about Jesse!

[Commie Basher]

I wonder why Ventura couldn't have waited until after the election and then appointed the winner. That way, the new MN senator would have had a slight seniority jump over the other new senators. But that's Jesse Ventura, it's always about him, not his state.

Oh, give Jesse a break! If Mondale had won, you'd now be praising Jesse for not appointing the winner.

[jbstrick]

"I wonder why Ventura couldn't have waited until after the election and then appointed the winner."

In essence he cant. A senator can only serve 6 years. If Ventura appointed Coleman now he would have to resign before the end of the term six years from now.

[RobbyS]

Unless he won re-election.

[Steven W.]

Here is the deal:

Ventura appointed Barkley to spite the DemoncRATs for the Wellstone memorially and, to a lesser degree, both the RATs and the Republicans for having the debate without any other participants.

The appointment of Barkley has standing until the next election under Minnesota law which conflicts with federal law which allows the appointee to remain seated until the end of the session. So while Coleman's election now gives him precedent the federal law stands.

Barkley already said he would stay until the end of the term and any kind of fight would not only be fruitless it would irk Barkley and Ventura.

Coleman has asked Ventura to appoint him one or two days before the end of the year so that then Minnesota would have seniority over other new Senators elected in this lesson (as Coleman would be offically "seated" in December and new folks would be seated in January). I suspect Ventura & Barkley will OK this provided they're not mad about other stuff.

Barkley still holds a lot of cards here as to who he'll work with. So far it seems he's best aligned with the Republicans and I suspect one of the reasons Lott has been saying some of the things he has is to encourage Barkley to join with the Republicans lest Daschle continue to obstruct through the end of the session.

[AFPhys]

There is an on-going and apparently vigorous investigation
into the SD fraud. Investigations take time, though, and
I will not be surprised if this one takes much longer than
the time Thune has before Johnson is seated. Without very
clear evidence before then, I doubt the investigation will
have any more effect than it has had already, that being
the discarding of several hundred (as I understand) invalid
ballot applications.

[AFPhys]

Could Ventura's appt. have been meant to blast the Demodogs for the Plane Crash Jamboree regardless of the outcome of the election?

[BillyBoy]

>> I'm from Minnesota. Barkley is a jerk. He'll hang in the Seante as long as he can for no other reason than to screw up the seniority ranking. Ventura is perfectly OK with this too. Barkley is Ventura's boy and this is B's 15 minutes of national fame. <<

Hey, if Wellstone hadn't croaked, it would be HIS socialist butt in that seat making decisions until January (and that's even if he lost)

No matter how bad Barkley's flaws, surely he can't be as bad as Wellstone. If you put with 8 years of Wellstone, you can put up with this guy for 2 monthes.