No More Minnesota Nice

The ugliest and most heated senatorial election of 2008 still does not have a victor, and no end is in sight.

On Wednesday morning, Senator Norm Coleman proclaimed victory by a margin of a mere 725 votes. As of this writing, the lead has dropped to 206.

By state law, Minnesota election officials conduct an automatic recount in a race with a .5% margin or less. In this instance, the amount separating these men stands at less than .01%.

The official recount has not yet begun and partisan shenanigans are rampant. An election official from solidly Democratic Hennepin County left 32 absentee ballots in his car, forgetting to submit them before the deadline. Coleman's legal team challenged the validity of the ballots but eventually lost in what was the first of potentially many court struggles.

Voters must be suspicious of Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who is in charge of overseeing the recount. A liberal Democrat, Ritchie was elected in 2006 due in large part from the assistance of ACORN and a progressive liberal group aimed at electing Democrats to election administering positions.

Perhaps the worst news is that a lengthy court battle is inevitable. As GOP strategist Sarah Janecek said "At this point everyone’s so entrenched I can’t imagine whoever loses the recount will just take the defeat.”

So much for "Minnesota Nice".