Denied Senate seat, GOP’s Coleman seen as formidable candidate for Minnesota governor

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The man who lost the 1998 Minnesota governor’s race to pro wrestler Jesse Ventura now holds the distinction of losing his U.S. Senate seat to former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Al Franken.

Court victory hands Franken a Senate seat, Democrats a boost on health care, other key issues

WASHINGTON — The jokes about Minnesota’s prolonged recount can finally stop, just in time for Democrats to secure a reliable vote from a former funny man.

Facts about Sen.-elect Al Franken

NAME — Al Franken

AGE-BIRTHDATE — 58; May 21, 1951.

Democrat Al Franken wins Minn. Senate race, gives Democrats fillibuster-proof majority

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Al Franken ascended Tuesday from the ranks of former “Saturday Night Live” comedians to an even more exclusive club, outlasting Republican Norm Coleman in an eight-month recount and courtroom saga to win a seat in the U.S. Senate.

US Senate complete as court backs disputed November election

WASHINGTON - A nearly eight-month dispute over Minnesota’s US Senate seat ended Tuesday, as the state’s highest court sanctioned the wafer-thin election victory of Democratic candidate Al Franken.

Franken: ‘So thrilled’ to finally be headed to Senate after Coleman concession in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS — Democrat Al Franken says he’s “so thrilled” to finally be celebrating a victory after nearly eight months of recounts and courtroom fights in Minnesota’s Senate race.

Republican Norm Coleman concedes Minnesota Senate race, sending comedian Franken to Congress

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Republican Norm Coleman conceded to Democrat Al Franken in Minnesota’s contested Senate race Tuesday, hours after a unanimous state Supreme Court ruled the former “Saturday Night Live” comedian should be certified the winner.

Norm Coleman among notables gathering in St. Louis for conference on conservative principles

ST. LOUIS — Norm Coleman is among the notables gathering this week in St. Louis for a conference on conservative principles.

Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty won’t seek 3rd term; possible presidential candidate in 2012

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty erased one doubt about his political future while blowing open another, passing Tuesday on a third-term bid while declining to say if he’ll set his sights on the White House. Pawlenty dismissed talk of a 2012 Republican presidential campaign as premature, saying he would focus on the next 19 months to finish his term strong.

AP Sources: Minn. governor won’t seek a third term, perhaps signaling 2012 presidential run

NEW YORK — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty won’t seek a third term, GOP officials said Tuesday ahead of an expected announcement that will fuel speculation of a 2012 presidential run by the Republican.

Minn. Supreme Court ponders whether to extend or end state’s Senate race

ST. PAUL, Minn. — An hourlong hearing before a feisty Minnesota Supreme Court put a new spark in the state’s U.S. Senate race Monday, but Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman ended the day stuck in familiar waiting mode.

Minn. Supreme Court hears Coleman, Franken arguments over disputed US Senate seat

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Republican Norm Coleman is asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to toss out a lower-court ruling that gave Democrat Al Franken a victory in the state’s U.S. Senate race.

AP News in Brief

Iran test fires missiles amid global flap over its nuclear ambitions

Souter retirement plans to kick review, nomination process into gear at White House, Capitol

WASHINGTON — Now that Justice David Souter has helped solve the mystery of whether anyone would retire from the Supreme Court this year, what’s next? How will the executive and legislative branches of government set about filling a vacancy on the nation’s highest court?

Republicans warn of unchecked power by Democrats after Specter leaves the GOP

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter is a Democrat again following a decades-long turn among Republicans, a defection that has the GOP warning about the perils of unchecked power only a few years after it controlled both the White House and Congress.

Sen. Specter switches to a Democrat, pushing party near 60-vote filibuster-resistant majority

WASHINGTON — Veteran Republican Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched parties Tuesday with a suddenness that seemed to stun the Senate, a moderate’s defection that pushed Democrats to within a vote of the 60 needed to overcome filibusters and enact President Barack Obama’s top legislative priorities.

Specter switch raises stakes in Minn. Senate race; Dems have shot at filibuster-proof majority

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter’s party switch has turned up the heat on Minnesota’s long-simmering U.S. Senate race, which suddenly carries the possibility of giving Democrats a filibuster-resistant majority in that chamber.

New court schedule means resolution to Minn. Senate race won’t come until June at earliest

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota will head into June without a second U.S. senator under the Supreme Court’s schedule for hearing Republican Norm Coleman’s appeal.