Senator-elect Al Franken said today that he is "excited" to finally get to Washington to serve the people of Minnesota as their newest senator.

"Let me say thank you to the people of Minnesota for your patience, for your thoughts and prayers, and for giving me the opportunity to work for you in Washington," Franken said. "I can't wait to get started."

Franken said he believed he would be sworn in early next week, when the Senate returns from a week-long Fourth of July recess. He played down the fact that he will become the 60th Democratic senator, giving them a potentially filibuster-proof majority.

"I'm not going to Washington to be the 60th Democratic senator," Franken said. "I'm going to Washington to be the second senator from Minnesota."

No matter who they voted for, Franken said, "I want the people of Minnesota to know that I am ready to work for all of you -- that I am committed to be a voice for all Minnesotans in the United States Senate."

Franken said he has a full staff waiting for him in Washington and that he'll serve on the following committees: Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Judiciary; Indian Affairs; and Aging.

Norm Coleman has conceded the Minnesota Senate race to Democratic challenger Al Franken, following the state Supreme Court's 5-0 ruling today that Franken won the race.

"The state Supreme Court has spoken," Coleman said at an afternoon press conference. "I respect its decision and I will abide by its result. It's time for Minnesotans to come together under the leaders it has chosen and move forward. And I join all Minnesotans in congratulating our newest United States senator, Al Franken."

"The future today is that we have a new United States senator," said Coleman, who called Franken to congratulate him.

Coleman also thanked Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and her staff for carrying the burden of two senators for the past six months, calling her "an extraordinary public servant."

Coleman said he called Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) and "told him I was coming out here to make his life a little easier." Pawlenty has been pressured by Democrats to sign an election certificate, while feeling heat from the other side of the aisle to keep the fight going and prevent Democrats from getting the much sought after 60th Senate seat.

Following the court's ruling and Coleman's concession, Pawlenty released a statement saying he "will be signing the election certificate today as directed by the court and applicable law."

“I would like to thank Senator Coleman for his service," Pawlenty said. "As state solicitor general, Mayor of Saint Paul and United States Senator, he has been an extraordinary leader and public servant for Minnesota. I also want to congratulate Al Franken and wish him well as he serves the people of Minnesota."

President Obama also released a statement. "I look forward to working with Senator-Elect Franken to build a new foundation for growth and prosperity by lowering health care costs and investing in the kind of clean energy jobs and industries that will help America lead in the 21st century," Obama said.

Coleman, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native, was elected to the Senate in 2002 after serving eight years as mayor of St. Paul. His challenge to second-term Sen. Paul Wellstone (D) took a tragic turn 11 days before the November 2002 election when Wellstone died in an airplane crash. Coleman went on to win 50% to 47% for former Vice President Walter Mondale, who stepped in for Wellstone.

Coleman's concession speech can be seen here.

New Hampshire-based pollster ARG finds that Representative Paul Hodes leads former Senator John Sununu by a 40%-34% margin in a potential 2010 matchup.  This is in contrast to the May UNH poll that had Sununu leading Hodes 46%-41%.    Of course, a poll that was not in contrast to the reality of the situation in New Hampshire would have Hodes leading all declared Republicans 100%-0%, since Republicans have yet to field a candidate.  But its fun to speculate on how things could possibly play out anyway.  It is only June of 2009, after all.

Almost eight months since the November election, the Minnesota State Supreme Court ruled 5-0 in favor of Democrat Al Franken, who won the official recount by 312 votes.

Democrats had publicly pressured Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) to sign a certificate of election if the court ruled in favor of Franken, and they continued the push today. Pawlenty, who is in Washington today, has said he would sign a certificate if directed by the court to do so.

"I once again encourage Governor Pawlenty to respect the votes of his constituents and the decisions of his state's highest court," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) said in a statement today. "He should put politics aside, follow his state's laws and finally sign the certificate that will bring this episode to an end."

From the St. Paul Pioneer-Press:

It is U.S. Sen. Al Franken.

The Minnesota Supreme Court today decided that Franken, a Democrat, won the highest number of votes in last year's U.S. Senate race and deserves a signed election certificate.

The court said that Republican Norm Coleman didn't prove that a lower court made mistakes requiring a rehearing of the case. Coleman had asked the court to order thousands of rejected absentee ballots counted. He had hoped the counting would allow him to overcome Franken's 312-vote lead.

The court's decision brings to an end the seven-month state fight over the Minnesota Senate race. Franken has had a lead since January and a trial court decided in April that he won the highest number of legally cast votes.

Should Coleman not continue his legal battle in an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, and if Franken is certified the winner, Democrats would have a 60-seat majority in the Senate.

In a statement released shortly after the decision was announced, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (N.J.) said:

"Congratulations to Senator-elect Franken for today's courtroom victory affirming his electoral victory. As we've seen over the past 238 days, no matter how many times Norm Coleman goes to court, the result of the election never changes: Al Franken earned more votes than Norm Coleman. Al Franken was elected to the Senate and he ought to be able to get to work for the people of Minnesota. We've always said that Norm Coleman deserved his day in court, and he got eight months. Now we expect Governor Pawlenty to do the right thing, follow the law, and sign the election certificate. From health care to the Supreme Court to getting our economy moving again, the challenges facing us are complex and we need Al Franken in the Senate. In this historic and urgent moment in our history, Minnesotans have gone long enough without full representation. Al Franken will be an critical voice on the issues before us and it's time to let him get to work.”

If the election for governor of Florida were today, Attorney General Bill McCollum (R) would defeat Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink (D) by 6 points, according to a new Mason-Dixon poll (June 24-26, 625 RV, +/- 4%). Almost four in 10 respondents didn't recognize Sink's name, while McCollum -- who lost the 2004 GOP Senate primary -- is unknown by just 13%.

General Election
McCollum 41
Sink 35
Und 24

Both McCollum and Sink are heavily favored to win their respective party primaries against less-known candidates, State Sen. Paula Dockery (R) and developer/author Michael Arth (D), both of whom received just 4%. Speaking of Arth, his personal website bio is a must-read.

Although Dockery and Arth appear way behind, the Daytona News-Journal writes that this may be the year for underdogs.

Turns out Mark Sanford's declaration that his affair with Maria Belen Chapur was a innocent friendship for seven or so years before blossoming into a romantic relationship wasn't entirely accurate.

Sanford now tells the AP his first romantic encounter with Chapur came in 2001, and that there have been seven liasons total, including five in the last 12-months.

Obviously, this rolling disclosure hurts Sanford's credibility and may be the straw that breaks the camel's back, so to speak.

Nearly a month after winning the Republican primary, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie maintains a double-digit lead over Gov. Jon Corzine (D), a new Public Policy Polling (D) survey finds.

General Election Matchup
Christie 51
Corzine 41
Undecided 9

Typically, New Jerseyans are late making up their minds in campaigns, owing to the fact that the state has no major television market of its own and coverage tends to be minimal among New York and Philadelphia outlets. But the survey found that 70 percent of voters are "solidly committed" to their candidate, with only 30 percent saying they could change their mind. Breaking those numbers down, Republicans tended to be more committed to their choice (81 percent), while more than a third of Democrats said they still could change their minds.

Christie is still unknown to a quarter of state voters, while Corzine maintains an upside-down favorability rating.

Favorability Ratings
Corzine 36/56
Christie 43/33

One promising sign for the incumbent: Corzine leads Christie 56-40 in the 201 area code. That zone covers most of Bergen County, which has proven to be the bellwether in state elections. Bergen is in the northeastern part of the state, home to many New York commuters.

The automated telephone survey of 1,094 likely voters was conducted June 27-29, and had a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.

The next critical step in this race will come later this month, when the candidates must choose running mates. It's the first time in a New Jersey gubernatorial election where candidates will have a running mate, with the creation of a lieutenant governor position years ago.

Todd Purdum pulls down the black ski mask and whips out the sawed off shotgun for this utterly predictable hit piece on Sarah Palin in the August issue of Vanity Fair.

To be clear, there are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and the elitist MSM's contract-killer journalism against political figures with whom they disagree - which, more often than not means conservatives.

Purdum's piece is an absolute classic of the genre, complete with a slew of juicy, negative quotes from insiders and a smoothly crafted narrative that demeans and diminishes Palin's accomplishments and portrays her as an ignorant white trash whack job who stumbled her way into the governorship of Alaska through a combination of raw ambition and blind luck.

Sarah Palin is one of those rare figures who evokes acute emotions in a lot of people. I'm not one of them, so it's always been hard for me to understand why those who didn't even know her name before August 28 of last year could either fall so madly in love with her or be driven into such an absolute blind rage over her.

Even more perplexing is the MSM's continuing fascination with, and seemingly instiatible desire to destroy Sarah Palin. Why are Todd Purdum and Vanity Fair pulling out all the stops for a piece on Palin 10 months after the election? Is it because they fear she's still viable as a national political figure, or simply that a 9,800 word hit job on Palin is the kind of delicious red meat VF's readers can't resist?

Either way, there's the very real possibility that this kind of piling on Palin by the elitist MSM will actually improve her image outside the New York/DC corridor and make people in flyover country like her more, not less.

I had said a couple of times that Deval Patrick's approval rating was bad enough that, even in Democratic Massachusetts, he could face trouble if the GOP finds a credible challenger.

I was apparently wrong about the "credible" requirement.  The latest Rasmussen Reports poll finds that Patrick trails businessman Christy Mihos by 1 point (41%-40%), and leads Charlie Baker by 5 points (36%-41%).  Mihos got 7% of the vote in 2006 running as an independent, and Charlie Baker's resume includes "Health Care Corporation CEO" and "Ex-Gubernatorial Aide."

In fairness, Mihos has run a statewide race, and Baker has been involved in politics for a while.  But having never held elected office, as Republicans in Massachusetts, they shouldn't be holding a Democratic incumbent to 40% of the vote.  Very grim for Patrick right now.