United Liberty

I thought the Dino Rossi v. Chris Gregoire gubernatorial race in Washington state back in 2004 was close, eventually ending with Gregoire winning by 129 votes. However, the Al Franken v. Norm Coleman race for Minnesota’s senate seat is proving far more close:

As the U.S. Senate recount approaches another crossroad today, it appears that DFLer Al Franken’s recently attained lead over Republican Sen. Norm Coleman could narrow to double digits.

Today, the state Canvassing Board is scheduled to award votes from thousands of challenges that each candidate had filed against his opponent’s ballots but later withdrew. A draft list Monday by the secretary of state’s staff about how those votes should be allocated showed Franken leading by 48 votes. At the end of last week, he was up by 251, the first time since the Nov. 4 election that he had an advantage.

While 251 is a hefty margin larger than the initial 48, it could shrink in the coming days.

I’ve met and shaken Al Franken’s hand. He seems like a good guy but there’s still something surreal about a stand-up comedian becoming a United States senator. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, as I live in a state governed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.