Coleman: 'This trial court is simply wrong'

Republican Norm Coleman said today a three-judge panel was "simply wrong" when it ruled unanimously that he had lost the U.S. Senate race to DFLer Al Franken.

After a seven-week trial, the judges ruled yesterday that Franken gained 312 more votes than Coleman in the Nov. 4 election, and that Coleman failed to prove that there serious irregularities in the voting.

Coleman says he will appeal the case to the Minnesota Supreme Court early next week, even though many legal observers say his odds of winning are very low.

Coleman maintains that because of inconsistencies, there are still thousands of absentee ballots wrongly rejected "based on where voters live." He said while the judges opined about the notion of equal protection, the ruling stated that the question was outside their jurisdiction. Coleman said equal protection and due process are "at the heart" of his claims.

Coleman remains confident that he will prevail, but refused to speculate beyond his state Supreme Court appeal.

He said he is guiding the decisions on his legal proceedings, and is not taking cues from the national Republican party, despite the flow of money to his campaign's coffers. "National support is helpful; but it's not a matter of playing a delay game," he said.

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