Coleman: New election may be needed

ST. PAUL, Minn., March 4 (UPI) -- Republican U.S. Senate candidate Norm Coleman says Minnesota judges presiding over a recount trial may have to "think about" ordering a new election.

Coleman, who officially trailed Democrat Al Franken by 225 votes after the recount for the Nov. 4 election was completed, said Tuesday that legal challenges to the results are so numerous and serious that the court may not be able to fairly determine a winner, the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press reported.

The possibility of the three-judge panel overseeing the recount trial ordering a new election was initially raised by a Coleman attorney in a court filing. Asked if he agreed, Coleman said, "In the end, I think, that's something folks have to think about. … The court is going to have to reflect on that."

Franken's attorneys say the court has no authority to order a new election, and doing so would venture into legal territory never before explored.

"There is no precedent. There is no law. There is no statute. There is no rule," attorney Marc Elias told the Pioneer Press. "There is nothing in Minnesota that would suggest that one could simply suggest that one could simply start over again."