| Norm Coleman concedes, congratulates Al Franken |
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Former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-MN, this afternoon at a press conference conceded the Nov. 4, 2008 U.S. Senate election to Al Franken and congratulated Franken on becoming Minnesota's next senator. Coleman's concession surprised many and came just two hours after the Minnesota Supreme Court had rejected Coleman's challenge of the previous decision by a three-judge panel stating that Franken was ahead of Coleman by 312 votes. Coleman said he "will abide by the Minnesota Supreme Court decision" and said, "Let's all work together for a brighter future." Asked about his future plans, Coleman said he wished to address that for another day and possibly will relate his future plans sometime next week. He said his job now is "to do a better job of catching fish." He said he was fishing last weekend and did not do a very good job of catching fish. A reporter asked Coleman to describe his state of mind following his decision and he said he was "at peace." Many thought he may possibly explore federal channels and maybe choose the U.S. Supreme Court as another venue. Coleman dismissed that thought and also said he hasn't talked to anybody from the Republican Party nationally. He was also asked if he felt responsibility to challenging the 60-vote majority that the DFL will now have. He said he has not felt that responsibility or pressure. Coleman said he had spoken to Gov. Tim Pawlenty and said he was "going to make his life a little easier" by accepting the decision of the highest court in Minnesota. Coleman said he thought he had a better case than what was ruled by the Supreme Court. "I felt a commitment to getting it right," he stated. Coleman said he had "a very personal and positive discussion" with Franken when congratulating him earlier on becoming the next U.S. senator from Minnesota. Coleman said he hopes Franken can be a senator of great Minnesota traditions of the past. "A good thing is he has Amy Klobuchar at his side." Coleman thanked Klobuchar for being an extraordinary public servant. Asked about what he believed were some of his major accomplishments during his six-year term as senator, Coleman said the people to people work stood out. He told of a woman coming up to him at an establishment in St. Paul and thanking him for helping her family adopt a baby. He said UN oversight and helping farmers and producers on energy issues were also areas of which he was proud of his involvement. He said he will continue to be involved in these discussions. He said he was proud of his 32 years of public service. He also said he believed customer service, citizen service was a very major part of a job as senator. Following are excerpts from Coleman's statement made today from his home in St. Paul: “Ours is a government of laws, not men and women. The Supreme Court of Minnesota has spoken and I respect its decision and will abide by the result. It’s time for Minnesota to come together under the leaders it has chosen and move forward. I join all Minnesotans in congratulating our newest United States Senator – Al Franken. “Just a few last words about my legal challenge. Sure, I wanted to win. Not just for myself but for my wonderful supporters and the important values I have always fought for. I also thought it was important to stand up for enfranchising thousands of Minnesotans whose votes weren’t counted like the others were. After all, issues and politicians come and go, but voting is fundamental. “It is the essence of democracy so I knew we needed to do everything we could to get it right. “I am forever grateful and humbled by the people of Minnesota who have given me the honor to represent them – and even more grateful for their wisdom, courage, patience and understanding over these past several months. “The path that I take in the future is not nearly as important today as the path that we must now -- all travel on together -- to strengthen our state and our nation. “I have never believed that my service is irreplaceable. We have reached the point where further litigation damages the unity of our state, which is also fundamental. In these tough times, we all need to focus on the future. And the future today is we have a new United States Senator. “I congratulate Al Franken and his victory in this election. He now enjoys the advantage that our Congressional Delegation has over the other 525 people on Capitol Hill: he represents Minnesota. “I know the great ideas, the amazing work ethic and the historic ability to come together to get things done in this state will help him greatly, as it has me. “Speaking of which, I think we all should take a moment to thank Amy Klobuchar and her staff. They have done a great job of carrying the burden of two Senators these last six months. She is an extraordinary public servant. “I don’t reach this point with any big regrets. I ran the campaign I wanted. I conducted the legal challenge I wanted. And I have always believed you do the best you can and leave the results up to a higher authority. I’m at peace with that. As to my future plans, that’s a subject for another day. “We live in a great country and a great state. We can all have confidence that by some path we don’t yet know – one which we can all come together to lay out – we will arrive at the better future we all seek. “Thank you and may God bless Minnesota and America.” Comments (0)
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