A “Republican operative” is anonymously quoted in today’s Star Tribune saying of the governor’s recount, “I don’t think there’s any downside to keeping this recount going on as long as possible … If we keep the process going, there are opportunities for us in the upcoming legislative session.”

Presumably, that would involve some kind of delaying tactics, such as a court challenge after the recount proceedings wrap up.

In response, the Mark Dayton camp lashed out this afternoon.

“If that is the Republicans’ goal, it is a strategy designed to hijack the will of Minnesota voters,” said Ken Martin, Dayton’s recount director. “Such an outrageous power grab would be completely un-Minnesotan.  We expect that it would blow up in the Republicans’ faces.”

Martin, in a release, added that Dayton’s lead of nearly 9,000 votes is holding firm as county audits continue.

Said Martin: “If Tom Emmer chooses to proceed with the manual recount, we expect that it will go smoothly and fully confirm the canvass results … The people spoke on November 2, and we know what they said. They said that Mark Dayton will become governor on January 3.”