From the start, Senator Coleman’s election contest challenging the 225-vote lead Al Franken secured during the recount figured to be an uphill battle. In “Overtime in the Minnesota Senate election” I tried to suggest the nature of the mistakes made by Coleman’s campaign during the recount. The mistakes forced the Coleman campaign into a losing strategy focusing on rejected absentee ballots.
Day one of the election contest turned into something of a fiasco for Senator Coleman. Former Star Tribune reporter Jay Weiner, the Pioneer Press, the AP and the Star Tribune provide decent accounts.
By the end of the day, counsel for Senator Coleman were unable to advise the election contest panel what witnesses they might call today. At this point there is more suspense in seeing whether Senator Coleman can put in his case than in assessing the likely outcome of the proceedings, which can be viewed live online here.
To comment on this post, go here.
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.