From The Washington Independent:
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said today that he won’t validate a winner in the long-running Senate standoff between former Sen. Norm Coleman (R) and Al Franken (DFL) until “we get a proper result” — a process that will likely take “a few more months.”
Franken currently holds a 225-vote lead, but a three-judge panel is scheduled to count 400 contested ballots tomorrow. Asked if he would sign the election certificate if that panel finds Franken the winner, Pawlenty said he would not, instead waiting on the likely appeals process to play itself out.
…snip…
For Republicans, of course, the delay itself is the desired conclusion.
ST. PAUL (WCCO)―The lead in the U.S. Senate race may have changed, but the controversy surrounding it has not. On Tuesday, election judges opened and counted more than 300 formerly rejected absentee ballots. In the end, Al Franken extended his lead over Norm Coleman with a total of 312 votes.
Coleman has already said he will appeal if he loses. Minnesota law says an official winner cannot be declared until Coleman and Franken end their cases in state court.
…snip…
Anticipating a loss, Coleman already said he’ll appeal his case to the Minnesota Supreme Court, and possibly beyond to federal court.
Now Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said a federal appeal could prevent him from signing the official document declaring a winner.
…snip…
But that’s not the view of Minnesota’s top election official, DFLer Mark Ritchie. He said once Minnesota’s Supreme Court rules, the election certificate should immediately be issued.
…snip…
In the U.S. Senate, the Coleman-Franken fight is not just any race. Franken represents the 59th potential Democratic vote and Republicans are pulling out all the stops to prevent the 60 votes needed for Democrats to have a filibuster-proof majority.
…snip…
Pawlenty said his office is researching whether he can sign a certificate of election if Coleman goes to federal court. He has not asked the Democratic Attorney General of Minnesota for an opinion.
That’s important because the election certificate originates only from the Minnesota governor and is co-signed by the Secretary of State.
HYSTERICAL RAISINS 
Timmy’s got his eye on 2012 and hopes to win the rethug primary and challenge Obama. He knows that if he’s the rethug who signs the document sending Al to the Senate, he’ll be burned in effigy by his fellow rethugs.
He’ll let his state go without representation in the Senate if that’s what it takes to get him over the top.
i think he’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. he might win the rethug nomination if he ignores the vote count and forces minnesota to be minus a senator for months, but he’s doing himself no favors with the general population.
pawlenty aint signing nuthin’
nonnie you are brilliant!!!!!!
dcAp,
i wish that officials could be kept in a soundproof booth until elections were over. if there are any questions as to who won or what votes should be counted, etc., the governor, sec’y of state, judge, or election supervisor should be presented the facts. however, the candidates should only be identified as candidate x and candidate y. let the officials make their decisions based on the facts, not their own bias.
And the GOoPers are doing the same thing in NY-20 and will probably do it in every close election from here on out. So much for their whining about “activist judges!”
and shame on the dems if they don’t point that out at every opportunity. one of the things i am very disappointed about is the lack of decent dem talking heads on tv. there are a few good ones, but most of them are wishy-washy morons like harold ford. there are lots of others who sit there and stutter while the rethug screams over him/her. i love it when lawrence o’donnell shows up to give the rethugs a kick in the nuts. i know a lot of people dislike paul begala and james carville, but i would rather have them in a verbal brawl than most of the wusses you see.