With 99% of the ballots recounted, Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) leads challenger Al Franken by 251 votes according to the Star Tribune tally. However, 133 votes in a heavily Democratic precinct have disappeared, there are thousands of challenges to be resolved, and there are still disputes over absentee ballots that may have been incorrectly rejected.
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) is giving up his seat on the Senate judiciary committee to work full time on a health care plan. Kennedy, who has worked on health care for decades, said "This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I intend to make the most of it." Kennedy is expected to work with chairman of the finance committee, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), to craft a health care bill. They will no doubt work closely with the incoming secretary of health and human services, Tom Daschle, to come up with a bill very quickly.
Barack Obama raised $745 million during his campaign and spent $715 million, leaving him with a surplus of $30 million. He is now trying to decide what to do with it. Options include (1) keeping it for his 2012 reelection campaign, (2) giving it to local, state, or national committees, and (3) using it for advertising to help sell the public on upcoming legislation.
The latest RNC filing discloses an additional expenditure of $30,000 for Sarah Palin's clothes and accessories, on top of the $150,000 already reported, bringing the total to $180,000. In addition, the RNC spent $68,000 for a makeup artist and another $42,000 on hair stylist for Palin. Yet all through the campaign, Palin said she was just another hockey mom.