MN Senate Race To Drag On; Coleman Files Lawsuit Challenging Recount Results

St. Paul, MN (AHN) - Norm Coleman followed through with his threat on Tuesday and filed a lawsuit challenging the state canvassing board's recount results that show Democrat Al Franken as the winner. His challenge ensures that the Senate race in Minnesota remains unresolved for at least a month.

Coleman, whose term as senator officially ended last Saturday, said in press conference, "We are filing this contest to be absolutely sure that every valid vote was counted and no one's voted was counted more than anyone else's. The only way to do that is to guarantee that clear standards were applied fairly and uniformly throughout every single precinct of this state... While I understand there is a desire by a small number of people to simply move on, something greater than expediency is at stake here."

The 59-year-old former mayor of St. Paul led Franken by 215 votes on election night, triggering a recount beleaguered by acrimonious exchanges between the candidates and allegations about irregularities.

The manual, statewide recount of nearly 3 million ballots ended over the weekend with Franken ahead by 225 votes. The state canvassing board certified the results on Monday, but Franken was not sworn into office with other lawmakers on Tuesday when the new 111th Congress convened for the first time because of the expected court challenge from Coleman.

Senate Majority Harry Reid (D-NV) called on Coleman to concede during his address before the first session of his chamber on Tuesday.

"The Senate race in Minnesota was exceptionally close - one of the closest in history. Even close elections have winners," Reid said. "After all votes have been fairly counted, Al Franken is the certified winner by the State Canvassing Board and he is the Senator-elect from Minnesota. Democrats will not seek to seat Senator-elect Franken today. We understand the sensitivity on both sides to an election this close."

"This is a difficult time for former Senator Coleman and his family, and he is entitled to the opportunity to concede this election graciously. But we cannot let this drag on forever," the Senate leader added. "I hope that former Senator Coleman and all of our Republican colleagues will choose to respect the will of the people of Minnesota. They have chosen a new Senator, Al Franken, and his term must and will begin soon."

Coleman had filed several petitions with the state Supreme Court during the nearly two-month recount. He wanted roughly 650 rejected absentee ballots be included to the 1,350 wrongly rejected absentee ballots the state re-examined, despite a previous petition asking that the court block the inclusion of such ballots until "a uniform standard" is created. He had also asked that all alleged double-counted votes be excluded.

On Tuesday, the Republican again emphasized the need to ensure the accuracy of the results. "When double counted votes are included in a recount, an accurate and valid count cannot be obtained. When hundreds, if not thousands, of absentee ballots were wrongly rejected and still not included in the recount, an accurate and valid count cannot been obtained," he said.

State law requires that if a voter's ballot is damaged on election night, it should be replaced with a duplicate ballot. Coleman had warned the board that there were instances of double-counting.

Franken, a former "Saturday Night Live" writer, issued a lengthy statement on Monday saying, "This victory is incredibly humbling - not just because it was so narrow, but because of the tremendous responsibility it gives me on behalf of the people of Minnesota... I know this is not an easy day for Norm Coleman and his family... Norm has worked hard for this state and this country, and I hope to ask for his help to ensure that Minnesotans can continue to count on receiving excellent constituent services from their two Senators without interruption."