WASHINGTON – Democrat Al Franken’s victory in the Minnesota Senate race will give his party an edge in congressional battles that still may fall short of total control.
The former senator, Republican Norm Coleman, conceded defeat and ended an eight-month election challenge after the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Mr Franken was the winner of the November 4th vote.
Mr Franken said he may be seated in the US Senate early next week, giving Democrats control of a 60-40 majority.
Mr Franken’s addition is critical because, if the majority sticks together, Democrats can overcome Republican delaying tactics on legislation such as healthcare and financial regulation.
Such unity may not happen very often, said Bruce Altschuler, a political scientist at the State University of New York at Oswego. “It’s one more reliable vote, but it’s not any guarantee,” Dr Altschuler added.
Mr Franken tried to play down the strengthening of Democratic party power at a news conference yesterday outside his home in Minneapolis.
“I’m not going to Washington to be the 60th Democratic senator,” he told reporters outside his Minneapolis home.
“I’m going to Washington to be the second senator from the state of Minnesota and that’s how I’m going to do this job.” Because moderate Democrats often stray from party lines on controversial issues, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid will probably need to keep building coalitions and seeking Republican votes on big legislation, Dr Altschuler and others say.
Senator Reid also cannot count on the votes of two Democrats who are battling illness and have missed many votes.
Edward Kennedy (77) of Massachusetts is battling brain cancer and 91-year-old Robert Byrd of West Virginia was hospitalised for several months.
The Democrats’ 60 senators also include two independents who sit with the party, Bernie Sanders from Vermont and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.
“It increases their margin of error a little bit, but not much,” said Nolan McCarty, a politics professor at Princeton University.
Prof McCarty said Franken’s liberal politics may also make him a target. “The Republicans are better off with Al Franken in the Senate rather than Norm Coleman,” he said.
“Franken is tailor-made to join Ted Kennedy as the elite, liberal bogeyman that the Republicans will bank on for their fundraising appeals. Coleman’s vote on legislation just isn’t worth that much.” – (Bloomberg)