111th Congress Organizes; Senate Drama Continues

While the Presidential election became official after House and Senate ratification of the Electoral College votes on Thursday, the Senate is still far from final.  Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) confirmed Tuesday that he will challenge the result of the Minnesota Senate recount against Democrat Al Franken, who is 225 votes ahead of the incumbent. Franken's campaign team, as well as Democratic leaders, have called for Coleman to step aside, though they did not attempt to provisionally seat Franken during Tuesday’s swearing in ceremony. Additionally, Roland Burris (D-Ill.) was not seated on Tuesday after meeting with Senate Majority Leader Reid. Burris was appointed last week by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.), however Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has refused to sign the certificate of Burris' appointment. Though some Democratic Senators have spoken out against his seating, the leadership seems more ready to seat Burris as Illinois' next senator if he overcomes legal hurdles in his home state as expected. Several open seats have already been identified thanks to appointments as well as early announcements.  Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) will vacate his seat in 2010 and Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), a longtime advocate for infrastructure and the construction industry, announced he would not seek reelection in 2010.  In New York, the Governor has sent financial disclosure worksheets to 10 possible candidates to replace Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).  Additional openings exist in Colorado and Delaware.  Given the legal battles and the open seats, the full 111th Senate may not be determined for several weeks.