Franken takes lead for first time in Minn.

ST. PAUL, Minn., Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Former "Saturday Night Live" star Al Franken pulled into the lead Friday for the first time in his battle to unseat U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman in Minnesota.

The State Canvassing Board, examining disputed ballots to try to get "voter intent," allowed enough ballots challenged by Coleman's team to give Franken a lead of about 250 by mid-morning, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. Coleman began the day with a tiny lead after hundreds of challenged ballots were reviewed Thursday.

Both Franken and Coleman have promised to go to court if the other one is declared the winner. With more than 2.8 million ballots cast on Nov. 4, the candidates have never been separated by more than a few hundred votes, although Coleman had held on to a lead until Friday.

The state Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Franken camp on Thursday in a dispute about absentee ballots, saying that those that had been improperly rejected must be counted.

Coleman won a close race in 2002 against former Vice President Walter Mondale after Sen. Paul Wellstone was killed in a campaign crash. Franken, who grew up in Minnesota, became famous as a writer and performer on "Saturday Night Live" and went on to write several books of political humor.