An irretrievable loss. Awful. Horrible.

Statements by the Senate leaders on theUS Senate website with links to Sen. Wellstone's site.

Yes & thanks for all the good info.

(Now coldly, again) - Jim Dixon, but mightn't the respected elder-statesman Mondale, if he's willing, be the best chance to save the Senate seat? Granted, he's no Paul Wellstone. But, who IS? I always thought Mondale a good man & good liberal, albeit not the pure progressive crusader that the late great Senator was.

Re the absentee ballots - here in CT ABs checked off for a candidate no longer on the ballot as of election day, count for no one for that office. Can't "transfer" to new candidate of that party. (Makes sense, since the old single-vote straight-party-ticket option was banned by state-constitutional-amendment referendum vote in 1986.) BUT any AB voters who haven't yet returned ballot may validly write in the new candidate's name & it counts as long as it's broadly identifiable re who they mean. A voter issued an AB may always *apply* for a new one (for any reason at all, at any time before election day -- people lose them, change their mind, etc.); then the later-postmarked of the 2 is counted if both received back by poll-closing, & the other one is voided. But when it's this late, there isn't time for the snailmail transactions as a practical matter. We'll soon find out what MN provides re these mattters, I'm sure. / ABs are always a problem with a late-occurring ballot change. Of course, so are the "regular" election-day ballots, in whatever format & voting mechanism. / Somebody will say Let's postpone the election, I imagine. Easier said than done, with all the other offices & candidates at stake too.

What a terrible tragedy for the nation; plus an election mess for Minnesota.