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In Minnesota Race, Heavy Early Voting

Aired November 05, 2002 - 13:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: One high-profile Senate race is in Minnesota, where heavy voting was reported this morning. The Republican is former St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman, the Democrat, former Vice President Walter Mondale. And our Bob Franken is live from St. Paul, Minnesota. As far as we know, Bob is not running for any office. Bob, what's happening out there?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually we're going to stick around and watching them count probably very early into the night because Mondale was such a late entry in the wake of the Paul Wellstone death. The state did not have time to come up with a full ballot, which is a very high-tech computer ballot. So the case of the Senate race is going to be a supplemental ballot, Mondale versus Coleman. It's going to have to be counted by hand, and so election officials are saying that they hope, hope that they'll be finished counting by about midnight as opposed to much earlier in the evening, which is the norm. We will have to wait until those ballots are counted before they can go to the other races.

Not only that, but this race is too close to call. Statistically insignificant margins between the two, depending on which poll is taken, one leads or the other leads. Both of them led a parade of voters to the polling places today to cast their ballots. Walter Mondale, the former vice president, 74 years old, hasn't run for office in 18 years, recruited by the Democrats. He wound up a big five-day whirlwind campaign by voting in the Minneapolis suburb today, voting in a crowding polling place. It was a similar scene in St. Paul, where we are. where the former mayor of this city, Norm Coleman, 53-year-old Republican candidate, went to the polls also this morning, informed the world that he voted for himself. No question that Mondale did the same thing. But of course, there are thousands and thousands of other votes that have to be registered and counted before we know what the result is.

And we might not even know then. There could be some litigation. Although Minnesota normally has very unmessy elections, this one because of the question of the absentee ballots, could in fact take a while to untangle. Nevertheless, people are going to vote, voting with very strong feelings on one side or the other. And there is a hope that at the very least they can have a final result, one that gives us some idea about the result here around midnight local time -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Bob, yesterday, there was that one-time only debate on television for the Senate candidates. Any idea if there was a clear- cut winner or loser, or the impact on the voting today? FRANKEN: Well, one gets the impression that each side preached to their own choir, and the people who were Mondale supporters felt he did we with his aggressive style. And those who were the Coleman supporters felt he did well by saying he wanted to change the tone, that Mondale represented a new debate. There expecting a big turnout. The debate is sure to fuel that coming as it did, at the last minute. There are fairly strong feelings here, and I think that's manifested with the big turnout that we're seeing across the states.

SAVIDGE: Thank you very much, Bob Franken live in St. Paul, Minnesota. We'll continue to stay close with him.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 5, 2002 - 13:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: One high-profile Senate race is in Minnesota, where heavy voting was reported this morning. The Republican is former St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman, the Democrat, former Vice President Walter Mondale. And our Bob Franken is live from St. Paul, Minnesota. As far as we know, Bob is not running for any office. Bob, what's happening out there?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually we're going to stick around and watching them count probably very early into the night because Mondale was such a late entry in the wake of the Paul Wellstone death. The state did not have time to come up with a full ballot, which is a very high-tech computer ballot. So the case of the Senate race is going to be a supplemental ballot, Mondale versus Coleman. It's going to have to be counted by hand, and so election officials are saying that they hope, hope that they'll be finished counting by about midnight as opposed to much earlier in the evening, which is the norm. We will have to wait until those ballots are counted before they can go to the other races.

Not only that, but this race is too close to call. Statistically insignificant margins between the two, depending on which poll is taken, one leads or the other leads. Both of them led a parade of voters to the polling places today to cast their ballots. Walter Mondale, the former vice president, 74 years old, hasn't run for office in 18 years, recruited by the Democrats. He wound up a big five-day whirlwind campaign by voting in the Minneapolis suburb today, voting in a crowding polling place. It was a similar scene in St. Paul, where we are. where the former mayor of this city, Norm Coleman, 53-year-old Republican candidate, went to the polls also this morning, informed the world that he voted for himself. No question that Mondale did the same thing. But of course, there are thousands and thousands of other votes that have to be registered and counted before we know what the result is.

And we might not even know then. There could be some litigation. Although Minnesota normally has very unmessy elections, this one because of the question of the absentee ballots, could in fact take a while to untangle. Nevertheless, people are going to vote, voting with very strong feelings on one side or the other. And there is a hope that at the very least they can have a final result, one that gives us some idea about the result here around midnight local time -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Bob, yesterday, there was that one-time only debate on television for the Senate candidates. Any idea if there was a clear- cut winner or loser, or the impact on the voting today? FRANKEN: Well, one gets the impression that each side preached to their own choir, and the people who were Mondale supporters felt he did we with his aggressive style. And those who were the Coleman supporters felt he did well by saying he wanted to change the tone, that Mondale represented a new debate. There expecting a big turnout. The debate is sure to fuel that coming as it did, at the last minute. There are fairly strong feelings here, and I think that's manifested with the big turnout that we're seeing across the states.

SAVIDGE: Thank you very much, Bob Franken live in St. Paul, Minnesota. We'll continue to stay close with him.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com