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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – A veteran of the nation’s most
famous recount has been quietly advising Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), who is fighting
a fierce battle to hang on to his seat. Florida recount guru Benjamin Ginsberg, who played a
prominent role on then Texas Gov. George W. Bush’s legal team during the historic
2000 presidential campaign, has been helping Coleman’s recount operation, the
Republican senator’s campaign confirmed Monday.
Coleman spokesman Mark Drake said Ginsberg is serving as
an advisor to the recount team, which is headed up by Fritz Knaak and Tony
Trimble. When asked whether Ginsberg is new to the effort, Drake said he “has
been” advising the incumbent.
Ginsberg, a partner at the Patton Boggs firm in
Washington, is a former national counsel to the Bush-Cheney campaigns in 2000
and 2004 and also has served as counsel to the GOP’s three major national
campaign committees.
He perhaps became best known in 2000, when the recount in
Florida determined the presidential race between Bush and Vice President Al
Gore.
Ginsberg was forced to resign from the Bush-Cheney team
in 2004 after it was revealed that he was also advising the controversial Swift
Boat Veterans for Truth.
Coleman trailed Democrat Al Franken by 48 votes after the
canvassing board wrapped up most of the ballot challenges last week, according
to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
The state canvassing board will meet again Tuesday. It
still has to decide what to do with as many as 1,500 improperly rejected
absentee ballots and more than 100 ballots that Coleman’s campaign said have
been double-counted.
The battle between Coleman and Franken is the last undecided
congressional race of the election and will determine whether Democrats get to
59 seats in the Senate.
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