ST. PAUL, Minn. — One Senate candidate says the voters have spoken. The other says the electorate still needs to be heard.
In the end, experts say, it could be the courts or even the Senate that speaks the loudest on Minnesota’s unsettled Senate race.
While the race is headed for an automatic recount, Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken have other options to alter the outcome.
The recount is due to start once results are made official Nov. 18, and it could take weeks. Coleman clung to a 342-vote lead, out of nearly 2.9 million votes cast, as election officials around the state double-checked their reports.
After a recount, the candidates or any eligible voter can head to court to challenge how the election was conducted or the votes were tallied. The Minnesota law spelling out the contest raises the possibility of Senate involvement.
“I don’t think there is any possibility it will be simply a recount,” said Hamline University law professor Joseph Daly. “It is destined for the courthouse and ultimately it is destined for the United States Senate based on this law. There’s too much at stake. There’s too much vitriol.”
Minnesota’s race is one of three up in the air nationwide. Races in Georgia and Alaska are also unresolved. All three involve Republican incumbents in a year that has seen Democrats gain six seats already: Colorado, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia.
Franken went on Minnesota Public Radio to explain why he won’t waive the recount, as Coleman said he would do if he was in the same position.
“This is the closest race in Minnesota history, the closest Senate race and the closest race anywhere in the country. This is just part of the process to make sure every vote is counted,” Franken said. “Candidates don’t get to decide when an election’s over — voters do.”
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