Thursday, April 09, 2009

No Senate Certificate Until Process Complete

Gov. Tim Pawlenty says he won't sign an election certificate in the state's ongoing U.S. Senate race until the courts wrap up the legal process. After a tedious recount of 351 ballots on Tuesday, Democrat Al Franken leads Republican Norm Coleman by 312 votes. If Franken is declared the winner, Coleman says he'll appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which has already ruled on when a certificate can be issued."They said it very clearly that you cannot. State statute does not allow the certificate to be issued until the state court process has run its course, including a potential appeal," Pawlenty explained. The governor says it's not clear what will happen if the case is appealed to federal court.