Al Franken (D)

Al Franken’s family moved to Minnesota when he was four years old so his father could open a quilting factory. The business failed after two years and the family then moved to the Twin Cities. Franken graduated from Harvard in 1973 and moved to New York with his childhood friend Tom Davis to pursue careers in comedy. They got jobs as apprentice writers on what is now “Saturday Night Live,” the show that would launch Franken’s career. During his years with “SNL,” Franken won five Emmy Awards. He has appeared in several movies, wrote “Stuart Saves his Family,” and co-wrote “When a Man Loves a Woman,” which starred Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia. He was also on the short-lived NBC series “Lateline.”

Franken became more outspoken about politics, and especially his criticisms of Republicans, when the GOP won majorities in the House and Senate in 1994. He wrote a number of books, including: The Truth (with Jokes), Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot, and Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. Not surprisingly, Franken himself has been the subject of some books like Al Franken is a Buck-Toothed Moron and Other Observations and 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America. Apparently, Franken is #37 on that list, according to a description on Amazon.com.

In 2004, Franken got his own talk radio program on Air America, a progressive radio network that was founded to counter conservative talk radio.

As early as February of 2005, Franken indicated that he was looking at the 2008 race. He moved his family and radio program to Minnesota in early 2006 and began laying the groundwork for the race. He started a political action committee, the Midwest Value PAC, which contributed to candidates for local and federal office. Although there was little doubt he would run, Franken made it official on February 14, 2007 during the final broadcast of his radio show on Air America.

Franken calls the late Sen. Paul Wellstone his hero and quotes him in speeches. He has said that he would be a Senator in the tradition of Wellstone, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale, who “…stand by their principles and lead by their values.” Franken has called for universal health care, an Apollo-style program for renewable energy, and an end to the war in Iraq. Unlike many challengers, Franken has had the opportunity to make several trips to Iraq during the war through the USO.

Updated April 2008