Franken camp says they're ahead 22 votes-Dem demands recount extension after ballots lost

[kpete]

Source: Raw Story


Franken camp says they're ahead 22 votes
Nick Juliano
Published: Wednesday December 3, 2008

Update below: Dem demands recount extension after ballots lost

Al Franken's senate campaign says the Democratic candidate has pulled ahead of Republican incumbent Norm Coleman for the first time since the recount began.

The campaign's internal tally shows a Franken lead of 22 votes, campaign attorney Marc Elias told reporters on a conference call Wednesday. (Independent tallies by local newspapers still show Coleman holding the lead.)
Plan to drop 600 ballot challenges
Elias also said Franken's campaign would be withdrawing 600 challenges of ballots, conceding that the votes clearly were meant for Coleman. The two campaigns had challenged more than 6,000 votes between them, and Elias encouraged the Coleman camp to drop some of its ballot challenges.

Franken picked up 37 votes Tuesday night when elections officials discovered 171 ballots that had been uncounted.

Read more: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Franken_camp_says_theyre_ahead_22_1203.html

[cloudythescribbler]

1. This report is out of date -- Franken camp as of now claims TEN vote lead ...

apparently taking into account the 133 vote fiasco that took place after the info in the OP was released.

Here's a current email from the Al Franken camp. The time stamp on the email is:

Date: 12/04/2008 1:11:57 P.M. Eastern Standard Time

Dear Friend,

I wanted to share the latest news on the recount here in Minnesota: Our latest internal report has Al Franken leading Norm Coleman by 10 votes with some 56,000 ballots left to be included in the hand count.

Now, that number is going to change between now and the end of the recount - but we're confident that when all the votes have been counted, Al Franken will be the next Senator from Minnesota.

But ensuring that every vote is counted will require constant vigilance and a tough stance from our campaign. Already, we've seen ballots going missing, absentee votes improperly rejected, and the Coleman campaign attempting to game the system by challenging hundreds of extra ballots (which, by the way, is the reason some published reports falsely suggest Coleman is leading by several hundred votes).

We won't let anyone disenfranchise Minnesota voters. That's why we have Franken observers at every recount table. That's why we've kept our campaign headquarters running at full power around the clock. That's why we've built a team of recount experts ready to defend voters' rights at every turn.

And that's why we still need your help.

Your contribution - of $20, $50, $100, or whatever you can afford - enables us to equip thousands of volunteers, keep our headquarters open, pay legal bills, and ensure that every single vote is counted fairly.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TODAY!

This could wind up being the closest Senate race in U.S. history. Today, I'm happy to report that Al Franken is in the lead - and we think we'll net even more votes when the state canvassing board examines challenged ballots in the next phase, scheduled to begin on December 16.

But at the end of the day, it will come down to just a few votes. And our ability to ensure that no Minnesotan is disenfranchised depends on what resources we can bring to bear. In other words, it depends on you.

PLEASE MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO OUR RECOUNT FUND TODAY!

Thank you again for everything you've done so far. I'll keep you posted on developments on the recount as the process continues.

Yours truly,

Stephanie Schriock
Campaign Manager
Al Franken for Senate

[happygoluckytoyou]

2. lets get it down to MUD WRESTLING at the STATE FAIR... winner take all ! !

[Omaha Steve]

3. Link for the Act Blue recount fund

http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/21293

[Rhiannon12866]

4. It never dawned on me that Al wouldn't win...

I mean, who in their right mind would vote for Norm Coleman?!:crazy:

Thanks for the update... *fingers crossed*

I was also looking forward to seeing Al on C-Span...:evilgrin:

[davidpdx]

5. Even if the extension is given, the Republicans will sue to stop it

ala Florida 2000. It's going to be a nasty fight to the end.