In a one-on-one interview with KARE 11, Norm Coleman - who is now the former senator from Minnesota, unless his lawsuit challenging the election is successful - talked about his hopes as he heads into court, his new job, and the personal finance questions that have dogged him in recent months.
"I'm excited," he told KARE. "We're at, I think, a key stage in this process."
Late Thursday afternoon, the three-judge panel hearing Coleman's election contest ruled in his favor, denying Democrat Al Franken's motion to dismiss the case.
Coleman is suing to overturn the results of the statewide recount that ended with Franken leading by 225 votes.
Earlier in the day, Coleman released a web video telling his supporters "I will win this election."
At the same time, Coleman told reporters Thursday he had taken a new job as a consultant with the Republican Jewish Coalition, a group that promotes Jewish causes in Congress.
KARE asked why someone so confident he'll get his old job back felt the need to take a new one.
"Temporarily, I'll be able to put some food on the table, pay the mortgage," he said, though he declined to say how much his new job will pay, or how it the income compares to his paycheck as a senator.
"No," he said with a laugh. "It's enough to make sure I can pay my mortgage and make sure my kids can still go to school and my wife and I can afford to have dinner tonight."
As a senator, Coleman would have made $169,000 last year, a sum most Americans would gladly accept.
But recent headlines have suggested Coleman's personal financial situation is shaky.
Two weeks ago, the Star Tribune reported Coleman and his wife, Laurie, refinanced or changed the terms of their home mortgage 12 times in 14 years, and they now owe $160,000 more than their home is worth.
"Like a lot of Minnesota families, I use the mortgages to put the kids through college," Coleman said. "I don't think that's unusual." He added that he has no plans to sell the home. "I gotta suspect that the value of a lot of Minnesota homes are probably a lot less that they were a couple of years ago.
But if you're not selling it, who cares?" Coleman also answered questions about the lawsuit filed last year in Texas claiming his friend, Nasser Kazeminy, tried to funnel $75,000 to Laurie Coleman.
The suit, filed by Republican businessman Paul McKim, claims Kazeminy said he wanted the Colemans to have the money because "U.S.Senators don't make [expletive deleted]." "There's never been a single allegation that I or my wife have done anything wrong," Coleman said. "And I take great offense that people have used it for political purposes."
He said he welcomes a full investigation. As for the senate race that won't end, Coleman said if he ran his campaign all over again, he wouldn't do it any differently.
"I'm still in the race," he said, noting that by itself is an accomplishment for a Republican in a year that was not favorable to Republican candidates.
(Copyright 2009 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
