"With their supermajority, the era of excuses and finger-pointing is now over," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, indicating that Democrats can't blame intransigent Republicans anymore for the failure to make legislative progress.
Coleman's defeat was a disappointment for Republicans, although Coleman himself said he was at peace with the outcome.
"The election of November 2008 is over," said Coleman, 59, as he stood outside his Minnesota home. "It's time to look forward and not look back."
Coleman, who has been in the Senate since 2003, said he called Franken to congratulate him on his victory: "I told him that it'll be the best job he'll ever have."
The fight to get to Washington had been a long and emotional battle that at times bordered on the ridiculous. On the morning after the election in November, unofficial results showed Coleman ahead by 725 votes.
Coleman declared victory Nov. 5, but Franken pushed ahead with a demand for a recount.
As the days passed, the tally changed and Coleman's lead ultimately dwindled. Both sides flooded the courts and the secretary of state's office with legal challenges.
State election officials hand-counted millions of ballots, and the campaigns fought over the penmanship of voters who apparently weren't content to color inside the ballot's oval lines. Coleman's lead evaporated, and in December Franken pulled ahead.
In April, a lower court ruled that Franken had the most votes. Coleman appealed to the state Supreme Court. The two men have spent at least $11 million on the legal fight.
On Tuesday, the court rejected Coleman's contention that thousands of absentee ballots were illegally excluded. Coleman conceded two hours later.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, certified the election within hours of the decision.
Since the Senate is in recess until after Independence Day, the earliest Franken could be seated is next week.
"There is far too much work to be done for the state and the nation to drag this process on any longer," Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine said in a statement Tuesday.
President Obama said in a statement: "I look forward to working with Sen.-elect Franken to build a new foundation for growth and prosperity by lowering healthcare costs and investing in the kind of clean-energy jobs and industries that will help America lead in the 21st century."
