Posts Tagged “Al Franken”

CNN is projecting that Republican Saxby Chambliss has won the Senate seat in the Georgia runoff. His Democratic opponent was Jim Martin. This loss will keep the Democrats at least one (two if Franken loses Minnesota) away from a filibuster beating 6li0.

The election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden and the appointments following have left some Senate seats open. And there are still Senate races left to be decided. Politics- it’s fluid. 

A brief rundown on the seat shifting: 

Hillary Clinton’s Seat

Former President Bill Clinton doesn’t want the spot . Governor David Paterson has taken himself out of contention, as has Robert F. Kennedy Jr (who was rumored to be under consideration for the EPA spot) and Rep. Nita Lowey.  A long list of names are being floated around as a potential replacement- including Andrew Cuomo and Caroline Kennedy- but it seems that it is mostly speculation. Gov Paterson will make an official announcement in January when Clinton formally leaves her seat for her new job as Secretary of State. 

Joe Biden’s Seat 

Biden didn’t offer his resignation at the same time as Obama, which struck some as odd. It appeared that Biden might be holding on to his seat until incoming Delaware Governor Jack Markell took office in January. Markell and current Governor Ruth Ann Minner are both Democrats but it was believed that Markell would be more comfortable with replacing Biden with someone who would not want to run again in 2010, thus leaving the seat open for Joe’s son, Beau Biden (who is currently serving in Iraq). 

But the wait for Markell wasn’t needed. Gov. Minner announced that Ted Kaufman- friend and former aide to Biden Sr.- would take over the seat until 2010. Kaufman has already stated that he has no plans to run for the seat in two years.

In other words: they’re holding your seat for you, Beau. (Yes, Beau will actually have to run for the seat but since there’s been a Biden in the Senate since humans rode on dinosaurs, it is a sure thing.) 

Barack Obama’s Seat 

Though Obama gave up his seat a couple of weeks ago, Illinois Gov. Rod “Blago” Blagojevich has yet to put a new body in that position. He formed a vetting committee and rumored candidates include Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., State Sen. Kwame Raoul and V.A. Direcotr (and wounded Iraq vet) Tammy Duckworth

Other Senate News: 

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AL)- who is planning on running for reelection in 2010- is nervous that Gov. Sarah Palin is going to make a run at her job. Also nervous about the prospect of Sen. Sarah? The entire (non-fundementalist) world 

Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) will not run for reelection in 2010 and the competition for his seat is likely to be fierce. Speculated Democratic contenders include Rep Ron Klein, Sen. Dan Gelber and possibly State CFO Alex Sink (who had decided not to run before the Martinez announcement and now may change her mind). Potential Republican candidates: Rep. Connie Mack, State A.G. Bill McCollum and- in the long shot column- former Gov. Jeb Bush. 

Though 171 more uncounted ballots just turned up in the Minnesota recount, Five Thirty Eight is still calling the race for Republican Norm Coleman. 

And the Georgia runoff election happened today More on that and the Franken-Coleman battle to come later

As dictated in Minnesota state law, the incredibly close Senate race between Al Franken and Norm Coleman is now headed for recount (the first in the state since 1962). Franken’s statement: 

The Secretary of State’s office reports that all but nine of Minnesota’s 4,130 precincts have reported in. And this race is too close to call, with a margin of just about 1100 votes out of 2.9 million cast. That’s four one-hundredths of one percent of the vote. And we expect that when those final nine precincts are counted this morning, that 1100-vote margin will shrink into the hundreds.Under Minnesota state law, we will now enter into an automatic statewide canvass and recount. It will be the first one since 1962, when I was 11 years old. I remember that year very clearly for two reasons. The recount between Elmer L. Anderson and Karl Rolvaag. And the Gophers were in the Rose Bowl that year.

And we have twice as many ballots to count this time.

Let me be clear: Our goal is to ensure that every vote is properly counted.

The process, dictated by our laws, will be orderly, fair, and will take place within a matter of days. We won’t know for a little while who won this race, but at the end of the day, we will know that the voice of the electorate was clearly heard.

There is reason to believe that the recount could change the vote tallies significantly.

Our office and the Obama campaign have received reports of irregularities at various precincts around the state. For instance, some polling places in Minneapolis ran out of registration materials. Our team has been working on those issues for several hours already, and they will continue to do so this morning as the recount process begins.

Let me be clear: This race is too close to call, and we do not yet know who won. We are lucky enough to live in a state with built-in protections to ensure that in close elections like these, the will of the people is accurately reflected in the outcome.

This has been a long campaign, and it’s going to be a little longer before we have a winner. Senator Coleman, Senator Barkley, and I have done a lot of talking. Minnesotans have waited a long time to have THEIR say. And thanks to our state’s laws, we will eventually understand precisely what they have said.