Coleman lead Franken by 800, recount ahead (updated)
MPR reports on the radio this morning that Sen. Norm Coleman (R) leads DFLer Al Franken by 800 762 votes. Two precincts are still outstanding. The two precincts are in St. Louis county, presumably Duluth according to CNN. There is still a modicum of hope in this race, but it was also a bad night for Minnesota in MN-02, MN-03 and MN-06.
With 99.8 percent of precincts reporting, both Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken hovered at 42 percent. Coleman had 1,210,247 votes and Franken had 1,209,124.
...
Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said the recount won't begin until mid-November at the earliest and will probably stretch into December. It will involve local election officials from around the state.
With all 4,130 precincts reporting, Coleman led Franken by 762 votes out of nearly 2.9 million cast. Coleman had 1,211,628 votes, or 42 percent, to Franken's 1,210,901 votes, or 41.97 percent.
(MPR)
Any race within 0.5% triggers an automatic recount so you just never know.
Ultra-conservative Erik Paulsen used racism and lies to beat Ashwin Madia in the MN-03 race. El Tinklenberg didn't have enough momentum in the MN-06 race after bat-**** crazy Michele Bachmann's McCarthyite rant on Hardball with Chris Matthews. John Kline kept quiet and Steve Sarvi didn't make enough noise in the MN-02 race. Quite a bummer of a night here in MN.
Also, we did not achieve a Pawlenty-proof majority.
In the end, it appears that turnout of around 80% wasn't quite high enough. More analysis on that later.
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Another good argument for IRV
No matter who wins, they'll do so without a majority and we'll never know who Barkley voters had as their #2 choice.
Exit Poll data suggests Franken would have won without Barkley
The Star Tribune published exit poll graphics at http://www.startribune.com/politics/33580494.html?elr=KArks8c7PaP3E77K_3c::D3aDhUec7PaP3E77K_0c::D3aDhUiacyKUnciaec8O7EyU.
If Barkley wasn't running, 24% of his votes would have gone to Norm, 30% to Franken, and 45% would have chosen not to vote. This suggests that Franken could have had a net gain of more than 26,000 votes without Barkley in the race.
It doesn't really matter. If Barkley wasn't in the race, then Jesse Ventura would have joined the race instead and the dynamics would have been completely different.
So happy about Barack Obama...
but so sad about the rest. Every Dem candidate was so good. This is Minnesota's loss.
Thank you, Elwin Tinklenberg. Thank you, Ashwin Madia. Thank you, Steve Sarvi. Thank you, Al Franken.
Lying Ads Work
If a candidate is Republican, then it is ok to be a convicted felon, then Republicans will still vote for that Republican candidate. However if a candidate is Democratic, then all it takes is a lying negative ad, then enough people will not vote for the Democratic candidate, for the Democrat to lose.
Lying Ads DO Work--see MACK Attack
I think having watched Kline's operation these last few elections down in CD-2 that Kelly's right about the effectiveness of the lying negative ads. Kline must think he's finally made it to the point where he's so entrenched, that he no longer has to worry at all so this was the first time (in 5 elections!) that he did not adhere to his standard M.O. of sending out scores of negative glossies and smear ads. (Perhaps his extensive regular use of the "Tele-Town Hall" robocalling all through these last two years has also helped seal him off from any electoral accountability.)
In hindsight, it shows how wrong it was for the Star Tribune newspaper to endorse Kline out of concerns for "balance" (needlessly fearing he could be the only Republican Rep. re-elected to Congresss). At least in our area of Dakota County, Kline even played fair, for once, with his signs.
The reliance on negative smear mailings was very much on display, however, in the GOP targeting of first term DFLer Shelley Madore in Apple Valley's 37A race. Every household in this District received at least a dozen of the glossy smear mailers from neophyte Republican State House Candidate Tara MACK. Estimates are that she and GOP backers spent at least a couple hundred thousand dollars on all of her various attacks and push polls framing the attacks. MACK herself is a rather pretty young female (in the mode of Michele Bachmann and Sara Palin) but is only 24 years old. She apparently did not bother with coming to candidate and issue debates but just went straight for the jugular with her mailers. The Rove Book tactics, unfortunately worked.
MACK also spent lots on her super-sized signs which were everywhere.
Madia didn't match 3rd District Demographics
The DFL should be happy that their unmarried Gay Rights advocate carpetbagger candidate was within 10 percentage points on Election Day. He ran a campaign of class envy - Raise taxes on the wealthy and redistribute it to the poor. He must not realize that the 3rd Congressional District is the most affluent district in Minnesota.
The only time that he ever lived in Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District was during his final year and a half of high school. He has never owned a home or put a child through school so he has little in common with the typical voter. He used his parents' address when he filed his statement of candidacy. No other candidate for US Congress used their parents' address on their statement of candidacy. He obviously felt that his real address outside of the 3rd Congressional District would be a weakness.
Erik Paulsen will represent the 3rd District much better than any other candidate in the race. His bipartisan efforts will ensure that he wins reelection for as long as he wants to serve in Washington.
Republican Party is racist
You forgot to mention that he has dark skin, GOP_Don. You hit upon everything else.
The Republicans played the race card in this race. Don't vote for the guy with the dark skin, Geoff Michel and Ron Carey implied ... "He's not like us."
Way to prove once again that Republican Party is the party for the knuckle-dragging crackers.
Re: Republican Party is racist.
I didn't make any reference to race. You did.
Are you telling me that I should feel obligated to vote for someone that I feel is unqualified just to prove that I'm not racist?
Why do Democrats believe that a candidate's race is a qualification? Shouldn't a voter choose a candidate independent of race or gender?
We listened, we watched
Republican emails, Republican speeches, Republican press releases, Republican literature, Republican color changed TV ads....
That is how we know Republicans are racist.
"His bipartisan efforts..."
Yeah, "right."
Since when has Erik Paulsen EVER been "bi-partisan"??!?
Here's a hint: take "ever", and add a "n" in front....