Al Franken has slim lead in Minnesota over Norm Coleman, outcome unknown

As most readers of the NPI Advocate probably know, the contest for U.S. Senate in Minnesota between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken was so close that the state is conducting a recount to figure out who actually received more votes. As of the latest update (last night at 8 PM Central Time), Al Franken is holding a very slim lead.

Nov. 4 Ballots Cast for Norm Coleman: 1,103,291
Nov. 4 Ballots Cast for Al Franken: 1,107,528

Because the recount is still in progress (this is Day 9), there's nothing to get excited about right now - even though Franken is ahead in the tally.

These are only ballots that have been recounted so far; Coleman is expected to make up ground in the remaining batches to be recounted.

Each of the campaigns has been challenging ballots, although Coleman's team has contested nearly two hundred ballots more than Franken's team has.

The Franken campaign told supporters in an email update recently that it is concerned about ballots that have gone missing since the initial count.

According to the Secretary of State's website - not our internal data, but the official data from the Secretary of State - there are still numerous instances where the number of recorded voters does not equal the number of ballots counted in the recount. That means ballots were counted on Election Day but not included in the recount. We have been investigating these instances as we become aware of them, and have determined that, even if you set aside disparities resulting from clerical or technical errors, as many as several hundred ballots could be missing. In Ramsey County, Saint Paul Ward 5 Precinct 8, there is a disparity of 8 votes. In Dakota County, Inver Grove Heights Precinct 4, there is a disparity of 24 votes. In Washington County, Woodbury Precinct 7, there is a disparity of 29 votes.

Expect more legal wrangling in the days and weeks ahead. This contest may ultimately be decided in court - we'll see.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, it's runoff election time. Democrat Jim Martin is trying to unseat Republican Saxby Chambliss, whose disgusting attacks against combat veteran Max Cleland in 2002 are still infamous to this day.

Martin's campaign has been airing a tough but fair television ad criticizing Chambliss for repeatedly voting against America's veterans in the U.S. Senate. (Martin, like former Senator Cleland, is himself a veteran).

Voter turnout in today's runoff is light but heavier than usual for a runoff election, according to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

We should know the outcome in Georgia tonight.

If you have friends or family who live in Georgia, please call them now and urge them to vote for Jim Martin. Even if they didn't vote on November 4th, they are still eligible to vote in today's election if they are registered.

UPDATE: Sadly, Jim Martin has lost in Georgia. More proof that it's tough to take out an incumbent, even a slimy and corrupt Republican.