Senate Updates

It looks like the two outstanding Senate seats will remain in GOP hands. Saxby Chambliss has opened up a 7-point lead in today's runoff in Georgia, and Norm Coleman still has a 290 vote lead in the recount in Minnesota. That's supposed to end on Saturday with the challenges to be decided a week or so later. Most experts think the Coleman lead will be too large for Franken to overcome in the recount process. However, expect lawsuits.

Bottom line - both seats will likely remain GOP.

However, there is this:

Al Franken's (D) campaign said "that as many as 1,000 absentee ballots were improperly disqualified in Minnesota's Senate race, and that it may appeal to courts or the U.S. Senate to order that those ballots be counted," according to The Hill.

The U.S. Constitution allows each congressional chamber to be the "Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members."

According to Politico, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called the Board of Canvassers' decision to not count the absentee ballots "a cause for great concern," fueling speculation that the Senate would explore the legality of the Minnesota recount's results.

I would think that overturning the voters by giving the election to Franken would cause a real revolt among the GOP senators. Reid might lose a lot more than he thinks he would gain by going that way.