Sen. Norm Coleman’s (R) campaign said Monday that it will
move forward with a challenge to Democrat Al Franken’s 225-vote win in
Minnesota’s Senate race.
Franken was declared the winner by a recount panel on
Monday. A challenge will delay Franken’s seating in the Senate, which would
otherwise be set for Tuesday.
{mosads}In a statement, Coleman lawyer Tony Trimble said: “The
actions today by the Canvassing Board are but the first step in what,
unfortunately, will now have to be a longer process. This process isn’t at the
end; it is now just at the beginning. We will contest the results of the
Canvassing Board — otherwise, literally millions of Minnesotans will be disenfranchised.”
Trimble added that while the Coleman campaign appreciates
“the effort of this board to do the work, the reality is that any certification
of vote totals at this point is only preliminary.”
“There can be no count that is accurate or valid when 654
potentially valid absentee votes remain disenfranchised and when some votes are
counted twice — leading to a violation of one of the most sacred principles of
our Constitution — ‘One person, One vote,’ ” Trimble stated.