Minnesotans to Coleman: Concede

Pawlenty warns Senate that GOP will fight seating of Franken

(NEWSER) - Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants his constituents—and Democratic senators—to know that Franken-Coleman race isn't over, the Hill reports. The Republican governor stresses that "to be able to guess how it's going to come out is challenging," due to legal intricacies, and he promises woe to the Senate should it try to seat Al Franken prematurely. More»

Senator-elect stresses loyalty to state, downplays Dem. supermajority

(NEWSER) - Al Franken said he was “thrilled and honored by the faith Minnesotans placed in me” after the state Supreme Court declared him the winner of the Senate recount, CNN reports. "I'm so excited to finally be able to get to work " said Franken, who added that he got a "very gracious" phone call from Norm Coleman. In his news conference, Franken struck a cordial tone, saying he would stand on principle when necessary but would be willing to "compromise" for the good of constituents. More»

The end may finally be near in Minnesota Senate race

(NEWSER) - Minnesota’s Senate contest seems poised to end at long last, the Minnesota Independent reports. Election-law experts are sure that the Minnesota Supreme Court will shoot down Norm Coleman’s appeal, and it will probably be unanimous in doing so. “What he’s asked the Supreme Court to do is to ignore Minnesota law,” said one law professor. “There didn’t seem to be a single justice for whom this works.” More»

(NEWSER) - Tim Pawlenty will not seek a third term as Minnesota governor, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Pawlenty is seen as a probable Republican candidate for 2012, but he was mum on the subject. “I don’t have any plans beyond serving out my term,” he said today. “I’m not ruling anything in or out.” He said he was leaving office to open up the field to others. More»

By refusing to certify Franken, Minn. gov risks own future

(NEWSER) - By refusing to certify Al Franken’s Senate win, Tim Pawlenty is taking a big political risk, writes Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com. The Minnesota governor’s numbers have dropped precipitously since November; he currently has just a 46% approval rating, with 50% disapproving. The Franken/Coleman fracas may not bear all the blame, but considering that three-fifths of Minnesotans favor seating Franken, it can’t be helping, either. More»