The Minnesota Canvassing Board ruled Democrat Al Franken, the comedian and former radio host, won the razor-close election recount by 225 votes out of nearly 3 million cast Nov. 4.

Franken's victory would bring the number of Senate seats controlled by Democrats to 59, one short of the number required to bring legislation to a vote over the minority party's objections.

Though Franken has been declared the winner, the contest will not end today. Coleman has a seven-day window in which to file a lawsuit which the Coleman camp says is a near certainty contesting the board's ruling before Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie sign the election certificate.

The actions today by the Canvassing Board are but the first step in what, unfortunately, will now have to be a longer process. This process isn't at the end; it is now just at the beginning, While we appreciate the effort of this board to do the work, the reality is that any certification of vote totals at this point is only preliminary, a statement from Attorney Tony Trimble an attorney for the Coleman campaign said in a statement this afternoon.