Recount: Coleman’s lead shrinks by nearly 20 percent

With the first day complete tonight in a state-mandated recount in the contest for U.S. Senate between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken, Coleman’s lead shrank by nearly 20 percent.

Based on a Star Tribune analysis of partial recount numbers released this evening by the Secretary of State’s Office, Coleman lost a net of 41 votes and now holds a 174-vote advantage. He started the day up by 215.

These new numbers come after the state has recounted 18 percent of the ballots. They come from 27 percent of the state’s precincts. At this point, Coleman has lost 86 votes, while Franken has lost 45.

Observers for the two candidates together are challenging 269 ballots so far. Coleman is contesting 146, Franken 123. The challenged ballots will go before a State Canvassing Board for a final determination.

The gloves are off. There’s no pretense any more, because they are convinced that Republicans are too timid to fight back. Thus, the middle finger, a smirk, and “Yeah, so what? You gonna do something about it?”

Meanwhile, my checkbook remains closed and the (at least) three-per-week solicitations I get from the RNC and it's associates go into the post office trash barrel unopened. Ping me when the GOP gets a spine and a willingness to play smashmouth politics with a sneer.

It is a foregone conculsion that the scumbags will steal this election.

Jeez. Rampant paranoia abounds on this thread. Let’s examine the facts.

1) Unless Coleman comes out and says otherwise, we have to assume that every single vote counted today was agreed to by someone on Coleman’s team. Also, I have no doubt that his team are ensuring the ballots have been secure and the tallies are being reported accurately. If they’re not they are being negligent.

2) Half Franken’s gains were from one (Franken-leaning) county where they are using old scanners that did not pick up fainter lines on some of the ballots. I don’t know why they all went for Franken, but again, Coleman’s team must have signed off on them as valid. There is no sign, as yet, that any other county will give him that many votes again, so at this point, Coleman is still more likely to be the leader of the undisputed vote count.

3) So it will all come down to the disputed votes — currently well over 100 from each side. It looks as though there could be 1,500 to 2,000 of them by the end of the recount — many more than the likely difference between the two candidates’ totals after the recount is over. That means the review process for these ballots is going to be contentious, and heavily litigated as they fight it out over each disputed ballot. It’s going to be long and messy.

But, in the end, unless I hear from Coleman himself present evidence that someone has fixed the recount for Franken, then I’m not going to succumb to wild rumors that Franken is stealing the election somehow. Without evidence, the just sounds like whinging.

As it is, Coleman is still the favorite to pull this off, so let’s just wait and see what happens. There is simply no point in protesting at this point.

Funny. I’m a Floridian, and I went to visit a friend in Minneesooota back in March 2001. We stayed at his Dad’s place in Pelican Rapids, population 2k+. His recently divorced friend was PO’d at me for being a dumb Florida voter. Also, we stopped at several watering holes throughout the state as we traveled to our ice fishing destination (I was invited to try this insanity) and at each bar there was some mockery of our Florida voting debacle on the cork boards.

Seems to me the shoe’s on the other foot now, eh? YOU BETCHA, MINNESOTA HOSERS!

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