The plot thickens…
The state’s five member Canvassing Board, which oversees the recount, is meeting to decide how to deal with thousands of absentee ballots that are not included in the recount. Franken’s campaign says the ballots were wrongly rejected, and that about 6,400 ballots were wrongly disqualified. Coleman’s team says the board doesn’t have the [...]

With more than 3/4ths of the precincts counted, it looks like Franken will fall short, barring some wild turn around in how these votes are shaking out.
Still, FiveThirtyEight thinks there’s a chance…
The Star Tribune now puts Coleman’s lead at 180 votes, and the Secretary of State, 167 votes. (The Star Tribune’s tally appears to [...]

I’m following the Minnesota recount pretty closely because we could potentially have the makings of a super majority on our hands if Franken wins the recount and Jim Martin is able to beat Saxby Chambliss in Georgia.
In any event, after the first day Franken had cut Coleman’s lead from 215 to 172. And today Coleman [...]

The Hardball panel dissects the weirdness going on up in Minnesota.

Long story short, whoever wins has the best lawyers…much like Florida in 2000.

As I noted last night, the Minnesota recount is under way and Al Franken made up some serious ground in the first day.
Still, why is he contesting the above ballot?
More from StarTribune:
The bubble beside Norm Coleman’s name appeared to have both an X and a squiggle in it, but the Al Franken campaign wants [...]

So says political seer Nate Silver.
Apparently, he snapped up 43 net votes today to cut Coleman’s lead from 215 to 172. And in this first day of counting, right around 15% of the ballots have been counted, so Silver speculates that if this trend continues, Franken would gain 278 votes and beat Coleman by just [...]

The race between Norm Coleman and Al Franken, which has Coleman in the lead by about 600 votes, went LATE into the night (hence the picture above), but was called earlier this morning for Coleman.
Well, now the AP has taken that back and a recount is imminent…
Republican Sen. Norm Coleman finished ahead of Democrat Al [...]

79 electoral votes here for the Illinois senator.
Moving on…

The poll of polls reveals Obama holding steady.
Colorado…
CNN’s new Colorado Poll of Polls shows Obama leading McCain by 6 points 51% to 45%; The last Colorado Poll of Polls –- released Saturday –- showed Obama leading McCain by 7 points.
Florida…
An average of polls conducted in battleground Florida, shows Obama leading McCain by 4 points, 49% [...]

A bit of a surprise today, especially with the Pennsylvania and Minnesota numbers. Because I think this is one of the first polls I’ve seen that suggests those races are even close.
Pennsylvania: Obama +4
Obama: 47%
McCain: 43%
Minnesota: Obama + 8
Obama: 48%
McCain: 40%
Arizona: McCain +4
McCain: 48%
Obama: 44%
Frankly, I don’t buy the PA or MN numbers since they [...]

As I watch the following clip, I see a guy who comes off as an genuine, thoughtful conservative thinker. Sort of like Huckabee, only not as folksy. And, by the way, that’s not a bad thing.
What do you see?

But maybe he should thank McCain that he didn’t invite him on this train wreck of a [...]

Yesterday is was former Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson…
Carlson said Thursday that the Illinois senator’s stances on the Iraq war, the economy and green energy goals won him over. Carlson, who served from 1991 to 1998, also cited recent comments by GOP Congresswoman Michele Bachmann questioning whether politicians have “pro-America or anti-America views.”
“Regardless of our party, [...]

That’s right. The McCain camp actually thinks they can win Wisconsin, Minnesota or Pennsylvania. Failure to win any of these states means he loses.
Huh?
“Our ability to pick off one of those three states is where our fortunes are largely held,” a McCain official said. “These are states where Barack Obama is on the defense.”
McCain [...]

Earlier I shared some electoral projections that hinted at an Obama blowout, and now I have two sets of swing state polls that provide even more good news for his camp.
The key here is that Obama has crossed the 50% threshold in most of these polls with just a little more than a month [...]

Obama – 46
McCain – 44
This is kind of weird, and should definitely be looked at as an outlier at this point. Because last month Quinnipiac had Obama up by 17 points.
Some demo info…

Obama tops McCain 51 – 38 percent with women.
Men back McCain 49 – 42 percent.
White voters split 45 – 45 percent.
The Democrat leads [...]

Is Tim Pawlenty another unworthy subject of Internet hysteria and hometown fanaticism… Or does he have the proven track record and the charisma it takes to be John McCain’s #2?
Congressional Credentials:

Governor of Minnesota (2003 – Present)
Chair of the National Governors Association (2007)
Former Chair of the Governors Ethanol Coalition (2007)
Former Chair of the Midwestern Governors Association [...]

And it’ll get mini-coverage and have a mini-impact.
From Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Maverick GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul has booked an arena in Minneapolis for a “mini-convention” that could steal some of John McCain’s thunder just days before he accepts the Republican nomination.
A Paul campaign aide said the Texas congressman hopes to pack about 11,000 supporters into the [...]

That’s among their Senate colleagues where Barack Obama now leads Hillary Clinton 13-11 in endorsements. The latest holdout to go to Obama is fellow freshman Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. That’s just one more superdelegate for Obama in the slow march to his nomination.
Clinton could still pull it out but she’s going to have to [...]

MSNBC just called it. Looks like he took he handily.