Most people expected an appeal over the certified election results for Senate District 27. But they probably didn’t expect it to look quite like this.

Instead of former senator Grace Schwab filing a lawsuit herself, one of her campaign workers is doing it under the guise of

&uot;concerned voter&uot; &045; with the full backing, of course, of Schwab’s fellow Senate Republicans. Schwab herself, we’re told, is out of the loop and is going to enjoy the holidays while her friends worry about her senate seat. Of course, Schwab isn’t showing up in public or answering her phone to speak for herself.

It’s also strange that Tom Purcell, the former Austin councilman who’s filing this lawsuit in Mower County, first told Twin Cities and local media that he’s a political independent, although he admittedly voted for Schwab. Not until he was cornered by a reporter did he admit that he worked on Schwab’s campaign.

What’s going on here?

Are we to believe that Schwab, who was so outraged a week ago by the Canvassing Board’s decision and who has fought so hard to keep her senate seat, has suddenly decided to take it easy and give up her fight, allowing others to handle the battle for her political future? It doesn’t sound too realistic, and Purcell’s little white lie doesn’t make this charade any more convincing.

The strange thing is that this act isn’t necessary. It

wouldn’t make the legal challenge any less legitimate if Schwab were involved. There’s really no reason why she wouldn’t be, unless her campaign has decided that she’ll save face if she doesn’t look like a sore loser. We’d ask Schwab if that’s the case, but she seems to have mysteriously disappeared.

It’s just another bizarre twist in an extended election campaign that has proven to be full of odd surprises.