Tag: 312 votes

Nearly eight months after Election Day and coming at the end of a dizzying series of lawsuits, the Minnesota Supreme Court today ruled that Al Franken defeated Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and can now claim his seat. Franken will be the 58th Democratic U.S. Senator. Counting Franken and the two Independent Democrat-leaning members of the Conference, the party will now enjoy a filibuster-proof majority of 60, a fact that fueled the heated contest from the minute the polls closed in November. The court declared Franken won by 312 votes.