Franken wins Minn. seat but lawsuit likely

ST. PAUL - A Minnesota board certified results yesterday showing Democratic challenger Al Franken winning the state's US Senate recount over Republican incumbent Norm Coleman, whose lawyer promised a legal challenge that probably will keep the race in limbo for months.

The challenge will keep Franken from getting the election certificate he needs to take the seat in Washington when the Senate convenes today.

Franken, a former "Saturday Night Live" comedian, ended the recount up by 225 votes out of more than 2.9 million cast.

The recount reversed the unofficial Election Day results, which showed Coleman with a 215-vote lead.

Franken made up the deficit over seven weeks of ballot-sifting in part by prevailing on challenges that both campaigns brought to thousands of ballots, and by doing better than Coleman among more than 900 absentee ballots that had erroneously been disqualified on Election Day.

Coleman's lawyers have argued that some ballots were mishandled and others were wrongly excluded from the recount, but a Minnesota Supreme Court decision went against him earlier yesterday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats struggled yesterday to avert a showdown steeped in race and corruption as a defiant Roland Burris departed for the nation's capital declaring "I'm a United States senator" - despite boiling controversy over his appointment to President-elect Barack Obama's seat by a governor accused of trying to sell it.

Several officials said it was out of the question that Burris would take the oath of office today with other new lawmakers.

The secretary of the US Senate refused yesterday to accept a certificate on Burris's appointment because while it had Governor Rod Blagojevich's signature, it lacked the one of the Illinois secretary of state, Jesse White, who refused to sign it.

Burris said he is still "hoping and praying" that a deal will be worked out with Democratic leaders in the Senate, who have insisted they will not allow him to join their body.

A federal judge yesterday gave prosecutors three more months - until April 7 - to obtain a corruption indictment against Blagojevich, saying the complexity of the case against him makes it unreasonable to expect the indictment sooner.

Also yesterday, Blagojevich set a special election for April 7 to fill the congressional seat Rahm Emanuel is vacating to become Obama's chief of staff. The primary will be March 3.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bill Richardson, facing reporters for the first time since announcing his withdrawal as President-elect Barack Obama's pick for commerce secretary, declared yesterday that the decision was difficult but "the right thing to do."

The New Mexico governor announced his decision Sunday while a federal grand jury investigates $1.5 million in state contracts awarded to companies controlled by political donors to Richardson, who has denied any wrongdoing.

At a news conference, Richardson said he had hoped the investigation would be finished by last month, clearing the decks for his confirmation.

He said he was sorely disappointed because he believed there was a lot he could have contributed to help the economy recover.

He declined to comment about the ongoing investigation, other than to say, "I have faith in the criminal justice process."

GLOBE STAFF

WASHINGTON - Donors have contributed at least $3.8 million to help pay for President-elect Barack Obama's transition, according to figures released yesterday that show him on track to meet his fund-raising goal before taking office on Jan. 20.

Obama, who raised a record-shattering $639 million during the presidential campaign, set a budget of $12 million to cover costs such as salaries and rent leading up to the inauguration.

Taxpayers will contribute $5.2 million and the rest must be covered by donors who can each give up to $5,000.

As of Dec. 15, some 54,000 donors had helped raise more than half of the $6.8 million goal, contributing an average of $70.62, according to the transition team.

The transition team has pledged to release the names of donors on a monthly basis to establish transparency.

The team is also refusing contributions from registered lobbyists, corporations, labor unions, and other groups.

REUTERS