Unlike 2008, when the process took so long WineRev wrote a book about it, Republican gubenatorial candidate Tom Emmer has limited WineRev to a pamphlet.
Tom Emmer has officially conceded, and thus the Dark Scenario has been avoided.
A few more paragraphs - and links - below the fold.
As predicted last night on local television (and reported this morning by WineRev)... at 10:30am Central Time, Tom Emmer appeared at his home (family bundled up and by his side) in Delano to make his announcement. Emmer had been eerily out of the limelight, allowing state GOP chair Tony Sutton and lead attorney Tony Trimble to make most of the waves, except for his rather bizarre "we're still in it although God only knows why" presser late last week. I think it's of note that while he stood in the kitchen at MN GOP headquarters (hey, it looked like a kitchen!) on Friday, he's doing this from home.
As WineRev has pointed out in his recent diaries, here and here, the sudden backdown of challenges at the end of last week - plus the serious depletion of both frivolous challenges on Saturday and REAL challenges on Tuesday - AND the MN Supreme Court smackdown...er...decision - seems to have been the writing on the wall, the clue in the entrails, the lay of the tea leaves, the straw the broke the camel's back. (I'm not from or in Minnesota, so I am sadly ill-equipped to use the location-specific metaphor...but I bet it has something to do with lutefisk?)
In fact, the only other thing Emmer could have done was just let the process happen, let the Canvassing Board review and certify, and let the seven-day time limit for appeals to expire. I will say I'm glad he cut to the chase instead of letting things fade into the sunset.
At any rate, Emmer has conceded. Score one for our side! I know Dayton will have challenges ahead, facing a GOP-led legislature, but I am hopeful that my friends in Minnesota watch a government work together for their state.
Huzzah. Phew.
I am certain that you will be able to see tape and commentary at The Uptake, along with other local/regional news operations (Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, WCCO, KARE-11, etc.). And WineRev has confirmed that he WILL do a wrap up of the post concession coverage tomorrow - that should be a fun final diary for his (happily for Minnesotans) short series!