Incumbent Norm Coleman vows to challenge the decision.

After nearly two months of political and legal controversy, the Minnesota Board of Canvassers certified Democrat Al Franken as the winner of the state's Senate race. Incumbent Norm Coleman, a Republican, and his attorneys have vowed to challenge the board's decision.

The board today certified Franken's slim 225-vote lead over Coleman, bringing him a step closer to unseating the Republican candidate. The vote tally certified Monday includes a hand recount of votes throughout the state in addition to hundreds of absentee ballots that had been disqualified previously for no stated legal reason.

Coleman has pledged to file an election challenge within the seven day period required by state law. It is anticipated that his challenge will revolve around "duplicate" ballots that Coleman claims were counted twice, as well as 650 absentee ballots his campaign argues should have been counted.

Lawsuits by Coleman on both issues, however, have already been rejected by the Minnesota Supreme Court who said that the Board of Canvassers was better suited to handle the challenges.

Democratic leaders believe that Franken should take his rightful place in the Senate as soon as possible, even if the challenge in Minnesota isn't completely resolved.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said that there "likely will be an attempt to seat [Franken] this week." Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have said that they will filibuster any attempt to seat Franken while litigation is still pending.