The two Senate campaigns in Minnesota — if they can be called campaigns almost five months after the election — may very well have struck gold all over again, thanks to a new FEC advisory opinion from yesterday.
The opinion will allow donors who want to help Franken and Coleman to donate up to $30,400 to special recount funds — even if they’d already maxed out to the regular party committees or to Franken and Coleman’s regular campaign funds.
So if Norm Coleman or Al Franken suddenly needed a half-million dollars, for example, all it would take is less than 20 super-wealthy individuals, willing to max out for the cause — not too shabby.
Professor David Schultz of Hamline University explained to TPM that this can allow Coleman to take in amounts of money he simply couldn’t get before. “If the ruling had gone the other way he would have had to go out and find a bunch of new donors,” Schultz explained. “With this ruling, he at least the opportunity to go back and tap his previous donors.”
That said, Schultz still sees this as a very tough road ahead, albeit one that has been made a bit easier. “I think it becomes a cost-benefit analysis for the Republicans,” said Schultz. “Do they want to keep Franken out of office as long as possible, or do they want to go to donors and say: Democrats stole this election, help us prepare for 2010.”
For his part, Norm Coleman seems to be raring to go for an appeal, telling reporters in Washington today that he isn’t ruling out anything. “I’m not anticipating, you know, at this point being across the street,” said Coleman, referring to a particular building — the Supreme Court. “For certain, I want to make sure that equal justice under law is applied, we’ll see how that plays out in Minnesota.”
When asked for comment, Franken spokesperson Jess McIntosh told TPM: “while the judges are still deliberating over Coleman’s last lawsuit, I think it’s probably inappropriate to speculate on his next.”
