Dems, GOP take different approaches in Minnesota marathon battle for Senate

[babylonsister]

Dems, GOP take different approaches in Minnesota marathon battle for Senate
By Reid Wilson
Posted: 03/04/09 05:03 PM


National party strategists are pursuing different tracks in handling the complex Minnesota Senate case.

Republicans argue their chances remain good, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) offers reporters continual updates on the race.

Democrats, meanwhile, have taken a more low-key approach.

NRSC Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) has repeatedly offered the national GOP’s response to developments on the ground in Minnesota, while Sean Cairncross, the NRSC’s legal counsel, has put out his own memoranda on legal issues brought up in the case.

Even as Norm Coleman trails the canvassing-board count by 225 votes and court rulings continue to break for Democrat Al Franken, Cornyn has sounded bullish on Coleman’s prospects of surviving.

“The Democrats are up to their old tricks in Minnesota. The Land of 10,000 Lakes now has 10,000 lawyers trying to steal this election for Al Franken,” Cornyn said at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last Friday. “I believe that Norm has a real shot to pull this thing out. I’m still calling him ‘No. 42.’ ”

Leaders at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, meanwhile, have been less publicly involved in the contest. New DSCC Chairman Robert Menendez (N.J.) has largely left it up to his predecessor, Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), to comment.

Schumer has said he expects the contest to be finished by August. Meanwhile, Menendez has only issued one statement on the race, commenting Tuesday on increasing chatter about holding a new election.

Both strategies have their potential risks and rewards.

more... (AUGUST??!)

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/dems-gop-take-different-approaches-in-minnesota-marathon-battle-for-senate-2009-03-04.html

[pscot]

1. You can follow this over at the Great Orange Satan (Kos)

WineRev has been posting daily recaps. Franken's lawyers will finish in a week, maybe two. Then the Election Court will count some ballots, anywhere from dozens to several hundreds. Then they will rule. Coleman then has 15 days to appeal to the Minnesota Supremes. If the Election Court hands down a unanimous decision (all their rulings thus far have been unanimous) the Supremes are unlikely to override the ECC. The mathematical probability of Coleman finding enough new votes to catch Franken, is, apparently, vanishingly small. In five or six weeks we should have a decision. Coleman may still elect to appeal to Scotus, where he has a sno-balls chance. The Senate will likely seat Franken by mid April.

[babylonsister]

2. Thanks for the update. April sounds a lot better than August. nt