That didn't take very long.
After the Minnesota Supreme Court handed down its unanimous ruling favoring Al Franken in the hotly contested Senate election between he and Republican Norm Coleman, analysts predicted that now-former Senator Coleman would concede within the next few days. Coleman only took a few hours.
We have reached the point where further litigation damages the unity of our state," Coleman told reporters who had gathered for a press conference outside of his home. "I congratulate Al Franken on his victory in this election."
Legal experts opined that Coleman had little chance of making any headway whatsoever in the federal court system after losing not once, but twice before unanimous courts in Minnesota. Then again, his chances of succeeding before the Minnesota courts were pretty slim as well. The real question came down to how long Coleman and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which has spent more than $1 million on Coleman's legal fees, would fight to keep one more Democrat out of the Senate.
Al Franken represents a magic number for Democrats. Within days, Republican Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty will sign the certificate of election in accordance with the Court's ruling, and Franken will be sworn in as the 60th Democratic Senator by Vice President Joseph Biden. With a solid bloc of 60 votes, Senate Democrats will be able to block any attempt by Republicans to fillibuster key legislation (assuming, of course, that they have 100% Democratic support).
The move takes considerable pressure off of Pawlenty, who was going to have to make a difficult decision between signing the election certificate an allowing Franken to be seated (which may have angered some in his party), and holding off until Coleman had exhausted all his federal court options, which may have dragged the process out anywhere from another few weeks to another few months. Numerous polls in Minnesota showed that the state's residents preferred that the process be ended, and Franken be permitted to take his seat.
President Barack Obama, who campaigned for Franken in the Fall of 2008, called the nation's newest Senator-elect to concgratulate him personally, and also released this public statement:
"I look forward to working with Senator-Elect Franken to build a new foundation for growth and prosperity by lowering health care costs and investing in the kind of clean energy jobs and industries that will help America lead in the 21st century."
Democrats will likely move to seat Franken sooner rather than later. With upcoming votes on health care legislation, his vote will be needed to ensure safe passage for the landmark reform to be pushed through Congress.
