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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ― There's an orientation session for new U.S. senators planned for Nov. 17 in Washington. Al Franken wants to be there.

"We're putting together a team, a transition team in place for if I win," Franken said. "It'd be irresponsible not to."

Minnesota's unresolved U.S. Senate race, headed for a statewide recount with Democrat Franken trailing Republican Sen. Norm Coleman by a few hundred votes out of nearly 2.9 million cast, is creating complications for both men.

The recount is scheduled to start Nov. 19, and state officials said it could last well into December. Typically, new senators use November and December to vie for committee assignments, hire their staff and get their lives in order for the move to Washington.

"There's a big learning curve there," said Sara Grewing, who helped lead Sen. Amy Klobuchar's transition into office two years ago and is now an aide to St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.

Grewing said that Klobuchar was asked the day after the election what committee assignments she wanted. Franken said Thursday he hadn't yet been asked, but his campaign said Franken was preparing a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid indicating his preferences: Agriculture; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Foreign Relations, Veterans Affairs; and Indian Affairs.

The Franken campaign also planned to hire a transition director, and was collecting resumes.

Under Senate rules, Franken won't be able to make any official hires until after the recount. "You can't hire anybody until after your election is certified," said Howard Gantman, staff director for the Senate Rules Committee.

As the incumbent, Coleman doesn't have to worry about starting fresh in Washington. But the unresolved election complicates his quest to become chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which works to elect GOP senators.

Senate Republicans are scheduled to choose a new NRSC chairman the week of Nov. 17. That means senators who want to vote for Coleman can't be certain he'll be around next year.

"It would certainly cast a cloud over his chances, for sure," said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University.

Even without the recount, the close race would hurt Coleman's quest, Baker said.

"One of the problems for a senator who won narrowly is he's not a prime candidate for that job," he said. "You want someone who doesn't have a lot of political vulnerability. They don't want leaders from marginal seats."

But NRSC spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher said Coleman's chances won't suffer. She noted that the new chairman won't take over until next year, and that the staff will stay in place until then.

"Senator Coleman is probably not focused on it right now," Fisher said. "But his colleagues recognize his priority is to win re-election."

Another senator interested in the job, John Cornyn of Texas, is focused on helping GOP colleagues whose races have gone into extra innings, said Cornyn spokesman Brian Walsh. Those include Coleman and Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, who faces a possible runoff.

Coleman's campaign did not respond to requests for comment about the NRSC race.

Even as they try to look past the first of the year, both Coleman and Franken will have to devote plenty of energy to the recount.

Both are hiring lawyers, both have kept portions of their campaign teams in place, and both are still fielding press calls. They're also recruiting volunteers to fan out to precincts statewide once the recount gets started.

After a $30 million campaign, the candidates now have to deal with the legal costs of a recount. Franken's campaign e-mailed supporters Thursday seeking emergency contributions, saying it would put staffers in every county to monitor the recount.

In an e-mail, Coleman campaign spokesman Mark Drake said, "There's a process in place and we are putting together a team to recount votes that were already counted. We are looking forward to having that process go forward."

The campaign did not respond to requests for more specific information about its recount operation.

 

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