The recount in Minnesota is over and now will move to the courts:
Norm Coleman’s term as a U.S. Senator ended at noon Washington time today, and by evening his hopes of winning a second term had been dealt an expected but serious setback as state officials counted previously rejected absentee ballots in St. Paul.
Democrat Al Franken held an unofficial lead of 225 votes over Coleman, according to a newspaper tally of officials’ count of the absentee ballots. Franken had led unofficially by 49 votes going into the day and gained a net 176 votes from the new ballots.
With the recount complete, focus immediately shifted to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which continued to consider a request from the Coleman campaign to alter the process and add more absentee ballots to be reconsidered. But by early evening there there was no word from the state’s highest court as to when it would rule or hear arguments.
Franken could be named as the winner as early as Tuesday (when the other senators will be sworn in), but Coleman has promised to challenge the result. Nevertheless, short of a miracle, Stuart Smalley is going to be a U.S. Senator. And that’s pretty cool.
