Maybe, after all, Minnesota will have three Senators. Republican Norm Coleman, as promised, has appealed the ruling that named his Democratic challenger Al Franken the winner of the Senate race. In the meantime, Al Franken has started hiring Senate staff.

Coleman’s team got a pretty clear slap from the three-judge panel that ruled in Franken’s favor, but he is now taking his case to the Minnesota Supreme Court, making an argument based on equal protection. Part of their case revolves around 132 ballots in a place called Dinkytown. Coleman does not want to count the ballots. Franken does. Yes, that’s part of what this is about. Minnesota, we’re sorry.

A ruling is not expected before Memorial Day, and if it’s not in Coleman’s favor — and the experts do not think it will be — he could try the U.S. Supreme Court.

Even though Franken has not yet really gotten the job, he is starting to work for the good people of Dinkytown, and he has hired his first staffer, Alana Peterson, as Minnesota State Director, who will be liaison between the state and the Washington office . Naturally, the Republicans were a little peeved by the hire (they called it a "publicity stunt"), Democrats hailed the choice.  Surprise, surprise. It’s what we’ve come to expect from Minnesota.