Mark Ritchie wins a second term as Secretary of State

Mark Ritchie, who oversaw the contentious recount in the 2008 U.S. Senate race between Sen. Al Franken and former Sen. Norm Coleman, will serve another term as Secretary of State. The Associated Press called the race for Ritchie shortly after 9 p.m. At that time, Ritchie led Republican challenger Dan Severson by a margin of 58 percent to 37 percent, with 15 percent of precincts reporting.

Severson, a state representative from Sauk Rapids, ran a campaign alleging that Ritchie helped sway the 2008 recount for Franken and said he believes there’s no such thing as separation of church and state.

Ritchie, however, touted the recount and election contest as an example of good government, noting that the Minnesota Supreme Court gave him high marks during the recount.

Ritchie also had to fend off a campaign by Minnesota Majority that alleged “massive” voter fraud during the 2008 election and an ad campaign by the Republican Party of Minnesota that argued Ritchie is too partisan for the office of Secretary of State.