Franken Extends His Lead In Minnesota Senate Race
Former Republican Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman sued after the recount in his razor-close election battle with Democrat Al Franken, above, showed the former comedian with a 225 vote lead, setting off a legal battle that has dragged for months.
The results of that lawsuit, however, appear to have helped Franken more than Coleman, at least for the time being.
Franken today extended his lead by almost 100 votes, and he now leads Coleman by 312, reports the Associated Press.
Last week, the three-judge panel hearing the case allowed for 351 additional contested absentee ballots to be counted. The count, which happened today, netted Franken more votes than it did Coleman.
But the six-month old battle over the vote, which took place way back on November 4, is not yet over.
For one, there are still other issues pending in this original lawsuit, and the panel hearing the case has not said when it will come to a final resolution, reports The Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Based on the decisions so far, it's expected Franken will prevail when that happens.
After that, Coleman has said he would appeal the decision to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
