More than seven months after Election Day, a disputed Senate contest in Minnesota has been settled. After months of recounts and legal challenges, the state’s supreme court has ruled that Democrat Al Franken won the election. His opponent, Norm Coleman has conceded.

Franken’s arrival in the Senate will mean Democrats and Democratic-leaning Independents will hold 60 of the 100 Senate seats. Sixty votes are needed to break a filibuster, a parliamentary procedure that allows senators to continue a debate indefinitely and block or delay a vote on a measure or nomination. While some presidential supporters may hope that sixty Senate votes will allow Obama to get more of his legislation passed, the reality is that all sixty senators do not often hold the same views nor do they all vote the same way.

In a statement, President Obama said he looks “forward to working with Senator-Elect Franken to build a new foundation for growth and prosperity by lowering health care costs and investing in the kind of clean energy jobs and industries that will help America lead in the 21st century.”