Charlie Brown (CA-04), Darcy Burner (WA-08), and Al Franken (MN-Senate), all challengers, are waiting to find out if they won their races.
AAA-Fund endorsees fared well, garnering 24 victories of the 34 decided races. In states with multiple endorsees running, AAA-Fund’s endorsees faired best in Hawaii, Oregon, and Virginia, each with 100% victory rate. New Jersey was most disappointing with 0% victory rate, as was Texas where only 2 of 5 candidates won. 7 of the 10 candidates running in California won; this will go up to 8 if Charlie Brown can eek out a victory.
It may be a while before we have results for the other endorsees. In Brown’s race, there could be up to 40,000 absentee and provisional ballots remaining to be counted. The Republican incumbent currently has a 451-vote lead. And there could be a recount.
Burner’s race will also likely have a recount, once they finally finish the initial vote count. The Republican incumbent is up nearly 2,000 votes, but about 275,000 votes from King County remain to be counted. Pierce County also has a number of uncounted votes.
Franken’s toss-up is the most interesting. The vote count keeps shrinking and the automatic recount, which could go into December, hasn’t started yet. Coleman is using the Bush 2000 anti-recount playbook because, like Bush, he’ll probably lose. No mobs of Republican Hill staffers. Yet.
After the recount, there could be lawsuits. The Senate could even decide the winner. And that’s more likely to happen than one might expect. Minnesota law requires a district court judge to provide evidence of “deliberate, serious, or material” violations of Minnesota election law to the Senate. This provision may be triggered because a paid Coleman staffer served as a poll translator and allegedly told voters to vote for Coleman.
My congratulations to all of AAA-Fund’s endorsees, win or lose.
Update 11/8/08: Burner has conceded, but Franken remains hopeful.
- Justin Gillenwater
