WASHINGTON — Neither side is giving an inch in Minnesota’s protracted Senate election fight, and the tiny margin used to secure the newly passed economic stimulus package is a vivid reminder of why.
Supporters of both Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman see a winner influencing the balance of power in the Senate, even as the Democrats already firmly hold the chamber.
“The 59th vote in the Senate is very valuable, and that’s obvious now,” said Kathryn Pearson, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Minnesota. “It’s valuable for Democrats to add a vote, and it would be very valuable to Republicans to deny that vote.”
For Democrats, the absence of Franken’s vote has already made passing legislation more of a challenge. The $787 billion stimulus bill squeezed through the Senate late Friday night on the vote of Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who was flown back to Washington, D.C., on a government plane from his home state, where he was mourning the death of his mother. Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, who is suffering from a brain tumor, could not attend the vote.
Franken’s camp sees that as justification for the recount battle.
“We saw with the stimulus package that every vote matters, and I think that just heightens Al’s desire to get there and be a part of it,” said Jess McIntosh, a Franken spokeswoman.
The vote also underscored, for Senate Republicans, the importance of holding onto the seat. Coleman traveled to Washington last week to raise thousands of dollars to help fund his recount efforts. That included maximum $10,000 donations from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Coleman advisers said he also found time to talk about the stimulus package with his former Senate colleagues.
“Norm has been really upbeat and he is motivated,” said Ben Ginsberg, an attorney for Coleman’s recount effort.
Coleman’s team is fighting the perception that a Franken win is inevitable. A statewide recount put Franken on top by 225 votes, leaving Coleman to challenge the result in a lawsuit now in its fourth week.
A Friday court ruling, viewed by many as a blow to Coleman’s hopes, narrowed the kinds of rejected absentee ballots that may be added to the count. Coleman is appealing that ruling, in hopes of getting some 3,500 absentees accepted, opened and counted.
The longer the recount lasts in St. Paul, the more difficult things are for congressional Democrats. Some said Republicans are more intent on a drawn-out battle than holding out a realistic hope of victory.
“It’s becoming increasingly clear that Senate Republicans are using the Minnesota vacancy to obstruct the passage of President Obama’s agenda,” said Eric Schultz, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Brian Walsh, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Democrats were trying to avoid a transparent recount.
“I think the Democrats and the Franken campaign are going to great lengths to try and muddy the waters,” Walsh said. “As far as the NRSC is concerned, the top priority is that Minnesotans’ votes are counted.”
Ginsberg denied that Coleman is waging a court fight in order to gum up the Democratic agenda.
“I understand why Democrats might be saying that — they can’t help themselves. They have nothing left to argue,” Ginsberg said. “But that’s not the way we are looking at it. The stakes are clearly very high.”
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