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Please keep your thoughts strictly to your voting experience. Any comments about why you voted, how you did or why someone else should vote a certain way will be removed.

BACK to Ohio.com

Jennifer Brunner is running for Senate!
Lee Fisher is running for Senate!

I covered what I thought at the Keeler Report. In summary, here is what i said:

1. I am stupefied by all the Democrats who were begging her to run again for SoS – pitching the "team player" angle – and thought it would work. Open Senate seats come along maybe once but probably not twice in a career of a politician. Brunner obviously doesn't see herself as just a Secretary of State. This was her chance and she would have been borderline stupid to not take it. She will have the full-backing of 60th vote Sherrod which will be worth something. She cares more about herself than the Apportionment Board. So would you if you were her too.

2. Saying that Brunner doesn't see herself as a career SoS, she also knows that if Strickland wins in 2010, AG Cordray is the party choice for Governor if he wins in 2010 as well. That must have played a factor in her thinking. And she must have felt both would happen. Not saying they will, just saying that is what she thinks.

3. While 60th vote Sherrod will support Brunner, Fisher will have the backing of Strickland and what he controls…..at least the two of them will have that backing as we start out.

4. Dispatch: Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason might replace Brunner in the SoS race. I guess? Though Brunner is a formidable candidate, her departure does bring about a major opening for the Ohio GOP to take that seat back and hold the Apportionment Board. I wonder, deep down, if the Ohio GOP would rather win the Senate seat or Brunner's. Actually, I am fairly sure it is Brunner's.

5. Will this push out others in the Democratic field – or encourage them to get going on their bid? Neither Fisher or Brunner is backing down – and you can't expect anyone to with this opportunity. If Brunner and Fisher are both going to run and there will not be a clear field, there is no incentive for any of the other possibilities to stay away. It might be easier for someone like Betty Sutton or Peter Lawson Jones to win in a fractured primary – much like Sutton did for her congressional seat in March 2006. (I think this is the most important point).

6. I guess with Fisher making it official that means Bill O'Neill won't be running. He said he wouldn't run if Fisher did. What a relief.

I also think it is important that we note prediciting this race so far out would be foolish. Ask George Allen, Tom Daschle, and Ted Stevens about that.

No use in delaying the announcement any longer – effective November 30th, this site is changing. Kyle and I were brought on to supplement the election coverage for Ohio.com and that period has come and gone. So has our time here.

It has been a tremendous opportunity and one I never took for granted. It was not one I ever sought out, but one that I am glad I decided to do after some initial reluctance. Things worked out far better than I thought they would both for myself and the site. I have had chances to do things, go to events, get access, and meet people that would never have been possible before this website launched.

We found out officially on October 30, the day after the Phillies won the World Series. Talk about a buzz kill. It was my decision to keep it quiet until now. I felt it best that way: continue on through the election and keep doing the best job possible without distraction. This won't be my last post here, but readers deserve to be informed about what is going on. Sorry, that is all I have; I have no idea what they will be doing with the site.

There are a few people I want to thank. She is no longer with Ohio.com, but Linda Lyell was the one who got this thing started. It was her idea and she got it off the ground. Jim Arnold helped get the site launch off the ground and helped us work through some of the early technical stuff. Amanda Reagan was charged with the tough task of selling ads. Dan Kadar has done a lot of behind the scenes work as well – filming many interviews and doing general site maintenance. The site couldn't have run without him. His name was never on anything, but it should have been. When we were having trouble gaining traction early on, many bloggers linked to us or wrote something nice about what was going on here. There are too many to name, but you aren't forgotten. I will always remember the people that stuck up for me when the controversy flared up one week in. It was people on both sides of the blogosphere, friends, family members, high ups at the ABJ, and other random people who were outraged that I might be fired after a week. Thanks to all the politicians who took their valuable time to do interviews with us. Governor Ted Strickland particularly. Others know who you are. In my opinion, that helped put this site above most others. My parents supported my move back into the Akron area, knowing that this was something of a dream job for me. That is not a surprise – they've always been there for both of their children in good times and bad. My mom must have given out hundreds of our business cards to people around the area. My dad was always there to bounce my ideas off of.

Not a lot of additional information right now, but State Senator Kevin Coughlin announced this afternoon he plans to run for governor. I first saw it here at Ohio.com.

Looks like John Kasich, should he decide to run, will not have a clear primary field.

Update: State Senator Coughlin is exploring with the intention of running for governor. The state party has been informed of the organizing for a 2010 governor campaign and that is what is going on as of now. Just wanted to clarify that.

Well if there was ever a reason update a basically defunct Ohio political blog, this would probably be it. Looks like we got our answer on whether Senator Voinovich will run for a third term in 2010.

Politico: Ohio Republican George Voinovich is expected to announce Monday that he won't seek reelection to the Senate in 2010.

His retirement would give Democrats a shot at an open Senate seat in a battleground state that voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 elections and elected Democrat Sherrod Brown to the Senate in 2006.

After the last couple of days, I am not surprised. But overall, yes, I am surprised. It was always a foregone conclusion he was running. Until something happened.

Let the speculation of who will run begin. I don't know any names you don't – Rob Portman is the likely GOP candidate. Democrats will be fun to watch, as there are about 85 of them who A) want the nomination and B) think they are entitled to it. Lee Fisher, Tim Ryan, Peter Lawson Jones, Marcy Kaptur are names that are bouncing around. Hell, even Zach Space is.

Story: Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of an American political dynasty, has decided to pursue the United States Senate seat being vacated by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, a person told of her decision said on Monday.

How pissed off would be if you were serving in the U.S. House from New York and you wanted to be a senator? You wait around and wait around and hope the chance comes your way at some point – knowing even then it would be a dogfight for the nomination. Then in 2000, it did. Moynihan decided to retire. A lot of Democrats in New York were waiting that one out, but unfortunately for them some First Lady came in and decided to move there because she wanted it.

Well, that seat is now open again……and the same people kept their mouth shut and stepped aside the first time…….and now someone with no history of holding elected office wants to replace HRC. Sounds like the criticism the left leveled at Sarah Palin, minus the whole she was a governor part. One would have to think New York Governor David Paterson will give Kennedy a long look. I don't think all of the contenders (former Rep. Nita Lowey, Reps. Steve Israel, Greg Meeks, Nydia Velasquez, Brian Higgins just to name a few) will keep quiet this time.

(Note: "Rep." is short for "representative" not "Republican." The media was fond of only referring to Gary Condit as "Rep. Gary Condit" back in 2001 to try and confuse people into thinking he was not a Democrat.)

For Republicans, it is fun to watch, but that is about as close as we will get to ever winning this seat. Giuliani would have an outside chance to win it, but he would never run again (after dropping out in 2000). Peter King would have a glimmer of hope, but not much.

For the latest on Coleman – Franken in Minnesota, this post by Powerline has some good information. It is going to be close, and one side is not going to be happy with the end result.

Columbus Dispatch: About 1,000 disputed ballots that could decide the outcome of a hotly contested central Ohio congressional race won't be counted, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled today.

The state's highest court ordered the Franklin County Board of Elections to throw out about 1,000 provisional ballots cast in the Nov. 4 election that contained flaws such as a lack of a signature and identifying information.

The race they are talking about is the only yet to be decided race in the House: Republican Steve Stivers and Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy in the 15th. Stivers currently leads by 594 votes. All the votes from Madison and Union Counties are in, and 37,298 ballots are yet to be counted from the part of the district that is in Franklin. Today's ruling only affects around 1,000 of that number – and none of them could be counted until the dispute was settled, which now it has been.

From what I have heard, the Stivers people aren't feeling all that confident about what is left. The ruling also affects an Ohio House race I don't care about. If you look at the Ohio SoS site, the Franklin vote that is in and tallied: Kilroy 118,212, Stivers 106,267, with 21,369 being split between two other candidates. You can do the math and ascertain yourself that it is probably going to be still close when these votes are counted……which means…..good additional news that if the race is within 0.5% after the remaining ballots are counted……recount!

Now for some quick math. Assuming that exactly 1,000 votes are not counted I broke it down using 27,298 minus 1000 to get 26,298 as what is left to be counted (Dispatch has a typo saying it is 37,298 that is left, thanks to Justin Miller for the clarification there).

However, according to most people and Democrat blogger DPotts of BSB, about 40% of provisonals are from the part of Franklin County part that is part of the 15th, though no one can be sure. We'll say that it is 50% and none of the others are rejected. So that brings the number down from 26,298 to 13,149.

Using the numbers right from the SoS site, and also assuming the provisionals in Franklin break the way in percentage the regular vote went (not a safe assumption, this is just for arguments sake – Kilroy got 48.08% and Stivers 43.22%), here is what I got as Franklin County results:

Kilroy: 6,322 more Franklin votes = total Franklin votes = 124,534 total three county vote including Madison and Union = 136,025

Stivers: 5,683 more Franklin votes = total Franklin votes = 111,950 total three county vote including Madison and Union = 135,535*

* – The SoS site does not seem to reflect the latest numbers that have Stivers up 594 (finalized from Madison and Union Counties); they show him up 149. So add the difference of 445 to Stivers and you get 135,980 three county vote for him – a difference of 45 votes.

All a guess. And if anything the votes yet to be counted, you would think, would skew Kilroy (which is one reason I chose to say 50% of the votes will be from the 15th) by more than her percentage margin of those already counted. So check my math (I am bad at it) or do your own if you think you have a better way. Or if any of my basic numbers are wrong let me know.

He was going to win in any event, but a wise move by Sarah Palin to go down there and campaign for him. Everybody won. Senator Saxby Chambliss said he "could not overstate" Sarah's contribution to his win. Considering he ended up winning by far more than the projections, something or someone must have been responsible for the late surge. Chambliss must be a genius because he ignored all the know-it-alls that said Palin was such a drag.

Chambliss, in his own words:

Not the best of screen shot of Chambliss there by YouTube.

Saw this on Hot Air: According to multiple sources, who confirmed the Tip O’Neill staffer-cum-MSNBC host has negotiated with veteran Obama staffers to enlist in his campaign, Chris Matthews is likely to run for United States Senate in Pennsylvania in 2010. Matthews, 62, would run as a Democrat.

This would be a setback for Obama, as he would lose one of his main television cheerleaders. I still have doubts as to whether Specter will run again…he will be 80 in 2010…but he must be hoping that if he does run to face Matthews. I always used to watch his show on MSNBC, but he just became too much of a shill for me to handle.

I'll believe Matthews is going to run when I see it….these rumors have been floating around forever. Tough to see him run if he wasn't confident he would win and things really can't get worse for the GOP. Also, I think some of the Congresspeople from Pennsylvania would primary him anyways (Allyson Schwartz?). He won't get the same "everyone out of the way" treatment that Franken got in Minnesota.

Prediction: Saxby Chambliss win the Georgia runoff with 53.8% on Tuesday.

TheChiefSource.com – This is my blog. We are proud to support our fellow Akron bloggers and appreciate their work.

EricMansfield.blogspot.com – He's got his pulse on what is happening in Akron and Northeast Ohio. As a news anchor for WKYC in Cleveland, Eric can provide a perspective that most other sites can't because of his access to information and his relationships with people.

Grumpy Abe – This site is written by retired Akron Beacon Journal Columnist Abe Zaidan. The posts are fantastic and loaded with opinion. Of all the sites I read, this one makes me laugh the most. It is a newcomer to the Akron blogging scene and I hope a permanent fixture.

Pho's Akron Pages – Pho knows politics, the law, and Akron very well. All his posts are well written and interesting. He writes on topics happening up the block or on the other side of the world with clarity and wit. It is a fun site to read and has some great comment threads.

Fem Dem In Akron – Katie shares her perspective on events local and national. This past fall she was profiled in the Washington Post for her involvement in the Obama campaign.

LongLiveTheVillageGreen.com – This site is based in Kenmore, Ohio. They provide a unique perspective on their community, public education, and the arts. The site covers a range of topics and regularly posts some great music. God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties.

These are just a few of the sites I check out. If you have a blog here in Akron, please post the address in the comments so I can check it out. Thank you for reading my posts. See you around Akron.

Usually around the end of December I make predictions for the following year. Often they turn out wrong. This one is for 2010, but the motions will start in 2009. Actually, they already have.

If I heard correctly, and someone tell me if I am wrong, that since the late 1960's when the Ohio House expanded to 99, this fall marked the first time the party that drew the lines lost control. That is shocking and speaks to how bad the Ohio GOP has run statewide in the last two cycles. If Democrats can control the Ohio Apportionment Board in 2010, Republicans are going to be in a world of hurt – nothing compared to right now. Democrats probably don't forget how they have been drawn out in the past (see 1991, 2001). Safe to say they will return the favor. Republicans could be in the wilderness for a long time in Ohio if they lose control of the Apportionment Board. A breeding ground for future candidates will take a major hit and many Republicans will find themselves drawn into less friendly districts or even have to face off against each other. The state legislative boundaries will be re-drawn by the five member, partisan, state apportionment board after the 2010 elections. One legislative representative will be on the board for both the Democrats and Republicans. The Governor, Auditor, and Secretary of State control the other three seats. As it stands now, Democrats hold the upper hand.

Hence, Republicans are going to mount an effort like we have never seen to win the Secretary of State post in 2010. Both sides are working under the assumption that both Ted Strickland and Mary Taylor run for reelection and win (right now the first one looking like it is more certain, with Taylor set to be the Democrats big target in 2010 – they really have no one else to go after).

At times the last few months it seemed like the ORP had turned in to an advance team for Jon Husted's all but announced 2010 run for Secretary of State. In the midst of a presidential election, they were more focused on Jennifer Brunner than Barack Obama or other local candidates and races. Brunner deserved a lot of scrutiny. But it was like there were no other races or anything going on in the state. There was a total effort to make her look as bad as possible – more so focusing on her future than 2008 concerns, in my opinion.

Kyle Sisk thinks that Brunner will run for Senate against George Voinovich. I think the party pressure will be far too great for Brunner to abandon her current job when so much is at stake for Democrats to hold that office. Brunner or someone else if Sisk is right, Ohioans are going to see a titanic battle over this job – one that could control the future for both parties in the Statehouse. The Ohio GOP has already signaled as such and the calender hasn't even hit December 2008 yet.

All this is good news for Rich Cordray. We will put our resources into the other three races, leaving Cordray with an easy task to win reelection as AG. There is no doubt he plans on using that office as his springboard to run for governor in 2014. I hope the Republican candidate for Treasurer in 2010 can self fund.

Since the election I've talked a lot about Sarah Palin with friends on both sides of the aisle. The general consensus is she wasn't given a chance to succeed because the McCain campaign did such a bad job of handling her. Her selection so late in the summer that she has little time to prepare for the national spotlight, which I would argue she was never going to be ready for anyway. What has been exceptionally revealing is the McCain campaign and Fox News (a la Campaign Carl) assault on Palin post election. The stuff about her clothes and her general intelligence came from conservative sources. It showed how undisciplined and amateur the McCain campaign really was. I feel bad for the fact that this woman put her neck our for John McCain and she got trashed because they did such a bad job with her. Anyway, I hope she rebounds and gets the Republican Presidential Nomination. Palin 2012!

Now I know how President Bush feels, minus the whole being president part. It is like I am here – but also not.

But anyways, the beat goes on. News from the model city of Cleveland that isn't Brady Quinn / LeBron James / (generic Indians player) / home foreclosure / Jimmy Dimora / crime / Detroit comparison related.

PD: Cleveland could be among the first cities in the nation to name a school in honor of President-elect Barack Obama if a city councilman has his way. But officials will have to act fast to claim that distinction.

City Councilman Zack Reed called on fellow members at Monday's council meeting to join him in urging the Cleveland Municipal School District to rename a school in honor of the nation's first black president.

Unfortunately for the always attention seeking Reed, he was tardy on getting in on this idea. That school in Long Island beat him to the punch. Just like the school in New York pushed aside Dr. Charles Ludlum for The One, Cleveland will be doing the same to Nathan Hale if Reed gets his way. Hale is considered America's first spy. He was captured by the British and is remembered for his speech before being hanged following the Battle of Long Island. Before he was killed Hale said, "I only regret that I have but one life to give my country."

If people like Reed want to start naming buildings and what not after someone who currently only holds a make believe office, go ahead I suppose. I would say it might be more prudent to wait until he is actually in office and see what happens, but that is just me. But how about naming things that you know, need names, instead of just plastering over the old with the new? Nathan Hale and Dr. Ludlum will probably be among the many who disappear into history to make way for Obama. Look, I understand the symbolic victory Obama achieved. He wasn't my guy, but I respect what he has accomplished and wish him well. However, Americans from our past who achieved great things and had the honor of something being named after them don't deserve to be relegated to the trash bin of history.

If Reed is successful, and who knows if he will be, Obama will join the illustrious Michael R. White in getting a Cleveland Municipal School named after him.

Minnesota Update: Because the post has rolled off the front page, here is what is going on in the recount between Senator Norm Coleman and unfunny comedian Al Franken. With 82% of the vote counted, Coleman has an unofficial lead of 231 votes. Coleman has challenged 1,853 votes and Franken has challenged 1,773. I am starting to feel a little more optimistic here.

Republicans everywhere in Ohio and especially powerful ones in Columbus are not very happy with State Senator Tim Grendell.

Grendell (R-Chesterland, 18th District) found himself unopposed on November 4 for his second term in the Ohio Senate. He was one of only two State Senators who faced no opposition – and the only Republican. Kind of curious.

Both the Democrat (Mark Schneider) and Republican (Carol-Ann Schindel) candidates in the 63rd House District claimed Grendell's support in one of the marquee races from three weeks ago. The 63rd is located in parts of Lake County, which also is part of Grendell's Senate territory. Both Schneider and Schindel had ads
with the Republican Grendell's statements of support. "I am confident that Mark Schneider will provide a strong voice for the families of Lake County in the House of Representatives," one of the Schneider ads quoted Grendell as saying. According to Gongwer (subscription required), House Democrats said their spots stemmed from an agreement with the lawmaker, who would not go as far as an endorsement but agreed to provide the quotes and appear in a picture with Mr. Schneider. The Democrat's campaign produced signed copies of the statements on the candidate's letterhead as proof of the arrangement. But he did say later "I exclusively and wholeheartedly endorse State Representative Carol-Ann Schindel." Way to back your party, Tim. In the end, Schneider won with around 54% of the vote.

It is really a matter of semantics if he endorsed Schneider. But Grendell did agree to appear in his campaign lit and say nice things about him, stopping short of using the word "endorse." He may as well have though. The common understanding is he pulled this stunt in a quid pro quo for running unopposed, even though the Democrats didn't really have a top tier candidate to run against him. So there really wasn't a need to do this. Grendell has a reputation of just looking out for his own best interest and stepping on anyone needed that is in his way, including Republicans, and this would certainly be an example. Grendell has reportedly been getting some very icy treatment from his colleagues.

Grendell has been long known to have his eye on the U.S. House seat of Steve LaTourette. From what I am hearing he can forget that now. He will not get the party backing if the chance ever comes. There has been talk he will lose any possible chairmanship for the next legislative session in Columbus. To say that many of his fellow Republicans in Columbus and the leadership was outraged over his actions is an understatement. Additionally, I was told that tonight at the Lake County Republican Party executive committee meeting the discussion of censuring Grendell will be started.

One local point to add to this. At the April meeting of the Summit County Central Committee, Grendell was the hand chosen parliamentarian of Alex Arshinkoff. Grendell was paid handsomely for his services that night. Real objective.

RedState, in a post titled "Rumor of the Day":

I hear that Ken Blackwell, the former Secretary of State of Ohio, is seriously considering throwing his hat into the ring for RNC Chairman against Michael Steele.

Blackwell is active in the NRA, the National Taxpayers Union, and also is a big Club for Growth fan.

Some of the people I talked to this morning said that Blackwell, like Steele, is a fresh face for the GOP, but unlike Steele conservatives tell me they know where Blackwell stands on issues.

Now all we need is J.C. Watts to throw his hat in the ring if we're just out looking for an African-American to go up against Obama instead of looking for the most qualified guy. Republicans should not be engaged in this level of "me-too-ism" that most people find disingenuous anyway.

Hmmm. Hadn't heard that one. As one of the 36.65% percent of Ohioans who voted for Blackwell in 2006, my feelings are pretty clear. I like the guy and would vote for him again. It is true that people know where Blackwell stands. Steele people are a little less sure about.

Quite honestly, I really don't think either one is right for the job. Fact is that Blackwell got blown out in 2006. Yeah, it was a bad year in Ohio to be a Republican – especially to be running to replace Bob Taft. But it wasn't 36.65% bad. I don't see that as an image you want as your party chairman – someone who got blown out in his last election.

Laugh out loud hilarity from the New York Times and columnist Gail Collins: Thanksgiving is next week, and President Bush could make it a really special holiday by resigning….

….Putting Barack Obama in charge immediately isn’t impossible. Dick Cheney, obviously, would have to quit as well as Bush. In fact, just to be on the safe side, the vice president ought to turn in his resignation first. (We’re desperate, but not crazy.) Then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would become president until Jan. 20. Obviously, she’d defer to her party’s incoming chief executive, and Barack Obama could begin governing.

As a bonus, the Pelosi presidency would put a woman in the White House this year after all. On the downside, a few right-wing talk-show hosts might succumb to apoplexy. That would, of course, be terrible, but I’m afraid we might have to take the risk in the name of a greater good.

Wow, does anyone wonder why the stock of the New York Times is sinking? The hatred that Collins has for Bush must have rotted her brain. For the better part of 8 years, we have all been subjected to people like Collins saying Bush is "shredding the Constitution." To print this in the NYT, she must actually be serious about the idea and think there might be a chance it could happen (she is because she added a "seriously" in there). There would be no better example of a blatant disregard of the Constitution than this. What about the "selected not elected" trash from 2000? Nancy Pelosi becoming president wouldn't be the perfect example of that? Plus Obama isn't ready yet; not all of his cabinet positions have been filled with Clinton retreads (latest example: Richardson, Bill) and he doesn't have any more Nancy Reagan jokes ready.

Democrats are going to have to wait until the actual inauguration day per the 20th Amendment. You've waited this long, 2 more months shouldn't be too hard. Just like I was embarrassed for Michigan yesterday, I am actually feeling bad for the New York Times after reading that. Never thought I would say about either of them.

I know this is just one column, but I can't help but shake the feeling that people out there actually agree with Collins. Which is actually probably why it was printed – because most NYT readers probably nodded with approval while reading. Just a wild guess, but I would bet that if Obama were to lose in 2012 we wouldn't see a column like this in the NYT, and not because they might be out of business by then.

More Change: "Mrs. Obama is the product of public education on the South Side of Chicago and she believes strongly in the importance of good public schools for all kids."

Just not for her kids. In DC or Chicago.

"Mrs. Clinton came to her decision after additional discussion with President-elect Barack Obama about the nature of her role and his plans for foreign policy, said one of the confidants, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the situation. Mr. Obama’s office told reporters Thursday that the nomination is “on track” but Clinton associates only confirmed Friday afternoon that she has decided." – NYT

Wow. I honestly thought the rumors were just hot air. I'm really surprise and excited by this move. It is very Lincolnesque. Senator Clinton is going to do a great job and raise the profile of foreign policy issues in the Obama Administration. Her critics will say that she lacks the foreign policy experience, but I would argue that she makes up for it with the personal contacts she has around the world. This pick is also good news for the Democratic Party because it puts a complete end to any splits between Obama and Clinton camps. This is very good news.

WSJ: “What John McCain did for her was to give her the capacity to sort of leapfrog over the process and get right to the center stage,” he said at a breakfast with reporters this morning. “By naming her [his running mate] he was able to put her in a position where she did have to go through the bruising process of the primaries. Many of us had been out there for 15 months … she walks into the hot spotlight and she’s a blank slate nobody knows so Republicans are fired up……Huckabee’s comments on Palin, a possible rival for the 2012 Republican nomination, suggest some jealously. “She didn’t have to go through any the debates, she didn’t have to go through the primaries, she didn’t have to have people pick her or pick someone else against her.

Sarah Palin had it easy? What a jackass. Apparently he stopped paying attention to the campaign once his dead end efforts to draw things out and kneecap Mitt Romney were done.

Interesting that Huckabee found the time to go after Palin; I thought his spare time was reserved for hating on Romney and now Fred Thompson. Didn't Huckabee gain a TV show and national recognition after his long shot bid and winning Iowa? Why is he always complaining about some other candidate. Things worked out very well for him considering he came from virtually nowhere. I am starting to think he just wants attention so he gets higher ratings and land more attractive / lucrative speaking gigs. Hey, Huckster: Maybe if you had governed like a Republican you would gotten more primary votes.

Knowing what I know now, part of me wishes now that Huckabee would have been the nominee. That way he could have been the one to take the national beatdown and then he could have exited the stage. Well he wouldn't have gone away, but at least he wouldn't have ever been given serious consideration anymore. Actually, I don't wish that he was our nominee…..that would have been a one way ticket to an insane asylum for yours truly.

We as Republicans are all searching for answers now and for a way back. Personally, I am still unsure about what needs to be done, but I am certain about one person I don't want anywhere near the 2012 / 2016 / 2020 / 2024 / whenever ticket. Throwing these flames around like Huckabee likes to do isn't helping anyone, most of all him. He would be lucky to be picked by someone like Sarah Palin to be her VP. If Huckabee wants to really do something constructive for the party, taking on Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas for her Senate seat in 2010 would be a good start.

U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley ruled yesterday that both state and federal law "impose a duty on poll workers to verify that a provisional voter" has completed the ballot properly. That includes signing and putting one's name on the ballot envelope, he said.

"Thus, because the disputed ballots in the FCBE's (Franklin County Board of Elections) custody are deficient due to poll worker error, they constitute valid votes that must be opened and counted," Marbley said

It is important to remember that not one of Franklin County's 27,000 provisional ballots have yet been counted because of the legal challenge to the 1,000 disputed votes. They will remain untouched until the appeal process ends, which is fair. Currently, Stivers leads district wide by 479 votes. I checked the county by county numbers expecting Kilroy to be way ahead, but she is actually down by 149 votes. The good news is Obama won 59%-40%. The hope for Democrats is those coat tails helped pull 478+ more of those provisional ballots for Kilroy.

(Red) Star Tribune: By day's end, with about 18 percent of the vote recounted, Coleman continued to lead Franken — but by only 174 votes, notably narrower than the unofficial gap of 215 votes at which the recount had begun. Franken's gain owed much to a swing of 23 votes in the Democratic stronghold of St. Louis County — the result of faintly marked ballots and older optical scanners that failed to read the marks.

Coleman's campaign is challenging the first pictured ballot that was counted for Franken. Franken is challenging the 2nd saying it doesn't show "intent" to vote for Coleman, a usual favorite argument the other way for Democrats. Pictures of other disputed ballots can be seen here. At this point, that is what it might come down to now – challenged ballots.

Franken gained many votes before the recount even started – ballots from a select few Democratic counties that were statistically improbable if not impossible. I don't think there is any "fix in" at this point – the actual recount should be fair. There is a lot of oversight on both sides. But the race is closer than it should be because of the Franken votes he got in the period between November 4 and Wednesday. Currently comedian Franken is only getting names and addresses and challenging rejected absentees in Ramsey County, a stronghold for him. If he is successful at that, Coleman will probably follow up with a similar challenge of rejected absentees in some of his stronger counties. He won't have a choice.

This race seems like it is going to come down to a small handful of disputed votes from a small Minnesota county – maybe in Rock or Scott Counties that won't even start their recounts until Dec. 3. From what I can tell looking from looking at the maps, both sides have counties that "should" be favorable to them; Franken has more to go in Hennepin County (only 6% counted), St. Louis County (42% counted), and Ramsey (15% counted) and some of the outlying counties outside the Minn//St. Paul region that tilted Coleman didn't even begin the process yet. An elections page of the StarTrib has a good interactive map that shows which counties have done what so far and here is their county by county running total. Still a lot of small counties that start Thursday or Friday that leaned Coleman. That said, don't be surprised at all if Franken takes a lead at some point Friday. The question then is whether or not it holds. I'll update this Thursday as events warrant, and we should know a lot more by late tonight.

Everyone keeps talking about the Dec. 2 runoff in Georgia as the one that may decide the 60th seat. That will almost assuredly be settled before Minnesota. Unless of course that race goes into a recount also.