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Reid: Minnesota Race is "Over"

January 05, 2009 4:45 PM

ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid isn't going to seat a senator from Illinois, but is ready to move on in the case of Minnesota.

“Al Franken has won the election," Reid, D-Nev., told reporters Monday afternoon on Capitol Hill. "There comes a time where you have to acknowledge that the race in Minnesota is over. The race in Minnesota is over.”

An entirely different take from Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign: "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," Coleman attorney Tony Trimble said in a statement e-mailed to reporters at just about the same time Reid was speaking.

Unsurprisingly, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., just stepped to the microphones to say "The Minnesota race is not over."

He went on to say, "I think it is safe to say that the election in Minnesota has not yet been determined."

January 5, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (15)

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I find this all soooooo amusing.

When Democrats do not accept the vote tally and resort to the courts, even in the face of massive fraud,(OH '04, FL '00) they are labeled "sore losers" and "obstructionists". In retrospect, it's too bad the SCOTUS prohibited a recount in FL '00 and Kerry wimped out on legal action in OH '04. America might not be on the verge of collapse.

Still, I am very amused to see the shoe on the other foot.

Does anyone else see paralells between politics and the WWE? Vince McMahon must be frustrated that he can't compete with the garbage that our so called leaders spew on us every day.

Posted by: Tom | Jan 5, 2009 5:11:20 PM

Coleman should be focusing on his own legal problems.

Posted by: kat | Jan 5, 2009 5:11:35 PM

A BIG Thank you from one who is from California to the Minnestoa voters who voted for Stuart err Franken..It certainly takes some of our "land of fruits and nuts" reputation and throw it your way...

Posted by: socalindep | Jan 5, 2009 5:14:34 PM

Wow Stuart Smalley? Coleman must have really sucked. Who is next to ride into DC, Ringling Bros?

Posted by: david | Jan 5, 2009 5:19:33 PM

Typical, the dems keep demanding recounts til enough votes are 'found' to take the election. However, Franken will fit right in with all the other crooks and whiners on the hill.

Posted by: Oh Please! | Jan 5, 2009 5:27:02 PM

Clearly - we weren't overwhelmingly in favor of either of these junk yard dogs. They lost all of their credibility during the campaign......so if you ask the average person in Minnesota - they really don't care anymore. Too much money spent and too much rhetoric.

Posted by: bree | Jan 5, 2009 5:27:32 PM

I won't miss Coleman "Ratboy" but now they are sentenced to that effieminate punk Franken, boy Minnesota, you got Problems! You expect to honor the memory and service of Paul Wellstone with THIS schmuck! Ugh! Pathetic and VERY sad indeed.

Posted by: please! | Jan 5, 2009 5:28:12 PM

Actually, it was the state of Minnesota today that declared and accepted Franken as winner. McConnell and Coleman's attorney want to insist otherwise, sore losers that they are.

Posted by: kat | Jan 5, 2009 5:31:36 PM

Harry Reid is as partisan as anyone who has ever held that position. He will never compromise for the good of our Country and should be sent packing back to Nevada.

Posted by: jim 234 | Jan 5, 2009 5:55:15 PM

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Posted by: G | Jan 5, 2009 6:20:28 PM

Coleman wanted those absentee ballots counted until he found out they were for Franken. Now Coleman wants them disqualified again. Typical Republican politics.

Posted by: con me not | Jan 5, 2009 10:35:36 PM

Both of them have big ego's and neighter will concede!It's all about them and not about the good of the State of Minn.!

Posted by: orangecat | Jan 5, 2009 10:47:53 PM

jim: You are so right. And he should take Dean, Durbin and Pelosi with him. Coleman won that election prior. What happened? Did the recounter's take many of Coleman's votes and give them to Franken. This is a stolen election no matter what and Coleman should take it to court. There should republican's counting the votes also.

Posted by: Mariann Pepitone | Jan 6, 2009 1:04:44 PM

kat: Where have you been. Coleman was the winner weeks ago. What happened is the democrats recounting the votes took many of Coleman's and gave them to stupid Franken an entertainer who isn't worth the time of day.

Posted by: Mariann Pepitone | Jan 6, 2009 1:21:26 PM

con me not: Those votes were not all Franken's. Man of them were Coleman's that why he won weeks ago. We all know the dirty democrat dogs are barking again. Franken stole that election and recounter's are also to blame for switching from Coleman to Franken. It goes on all the time.

Posted by: Mariann Pepitone | Jan 6, 2009 1:23:49 PM

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