Dean Barkley

Former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman was once a daily news staple but has largely fallen into civilian obscurity since bowing out of his recount battle with now-Sen. Al Franken. Now he’s back in the news and the blogs, and for reasons other than his health or gubernatorial ambitions.  

The 2010 gubernatorial contest will not be a two-party affair. With no clear favorites on either the Democratic or Republican side of the aisle, the political climate is potentially ripe for a third-party candidate to gain a toehold in the race.

Norm Coleman is not going down without a fight. But by continuing to drag out the contest, his political prospects could suffer “serious damage,” according to one-time rival Dean Barkley. Meanwhile, former Sen. Dave Durenberger, a Republican and Coleman supporter, believes that the most serious damage to Coleman’s political future has already occurred.

He didn’t get the chance to say it on the stand, under cross-examination in the Senate election-contest trial. But Minnesota Deputy Secretary of State Jim Gelbmann, a Democrat, voted Nov. 4 for neither Al Franken nor Norm Coleman, opting instead for Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley. Franken’s attorney was leading him with a line of [...]

Another day brings another post-recount poll of Minnesotans about the U.S. Senate contenders, the recount process itself and what should happen next. According to a Daily Kos-Research 2000 survey, 47 percent of voters support seating Al Franken in the Senate (at least provisionally) and oppose former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman’s legal challenge to the recount. Though conducted only a day or two after a similar poll by Survey USA for KSTP-TV, the Daily Kos results show some intriguing differences.

Roland Burris, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s pick to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate, should follow the example of former U.S. Sen. Dean Barkley of Minnesota by agreeing to serve only an abbreviated tenure. That’s the suggestion of The Nation magazine’s State of Change blog, which cites nascent impeachment efforts against the governor in [...]

One scenario in the Minnesota Senate recount has the U.S. Senate ordering a new election to help them decide whether to seat Democrat Al Franken or Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. Another scenario leaves the decision to voters in a new election to be held late next year after the vacancy is temporarily filled by an appointee of Gov. Tim Pawlenty. But a re-run of the Nov. 4 election wouldn’t be any more conclusive than the original was, according to a new poll that Survey USA conducted for KSTP-TV.

“The odds are that something went wrong with respect to counting.”

That’s what Democrat Al Franken’s campaign counsel, David Lillehaug, said this morning about the prospect of a pending statewide recount in yesterday’s U.S. Senate election in Minnesota. “We want to make sure that each ballot that was cast is counted appropriately,” he said.

The most expensive Senate race in Minnesota history looks like it may also end up its closest. With all precincts reporting, and nearly 3 million ballots counted, Norm Coleman eked out a miniscule 726-vote victory over Al Franken, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office. In statistical terms, that’s a 42.00 to 41.97 edge for the Republican. Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley garnered 15 percent of the vote and conceded defeat last night.

Barack Obama holds a 49-46 lead over John McCain in Minnesota, according to a new poll conducted by SurveyUSA. That’s within the survey’s 3.9 percent margin of error. No other poll released in recent weeks has shown the presidential contest to be that tight in Minnesota. In fact 7 of the last 10 surveys in [...]