Al Franken - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from Senator Al Franken) American comedian and politician (born 1951)

Al Franken
Official portrait, 2015

United States Senator from Minnesota
In office July 7, 2009 – January 2, 2018
Preceded by	Norm Coleman
Succeeded by	Tina Smith

Personal details
Born	Alan Stuart Franken (1951-05-21) May 21, 1951 (age 73) New York City, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (DFL)
Spouse	Franni Bryson (m. 1975)
Children	2
Education	Harvard University (BA)
Signature
Franken's voice Reading "Operation Chickenhawk", a chapter from his book Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations (1996)

Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American politician, comedian, actor, and writer who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He first gained fame as a writer and performer on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, where he worked for three stints. He first served as a writer for the show from 1975 to 1980, and returned from 1985 to 1995 as a writer and, briefly, a cast member. After decades as an entertainer, he became a liberal political activist, hosting The Al Franken Show on Air America Radio.

Franken was elected to the United States Senate in 2008 as the nominee of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL, an affiliate of the Democratic Party), defeating incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman by 312 votes out of nearly three million cast (a margin of just over 0.01%) in one of the closest elections in the history of the Senate. Though initially dismissed as a novelty candidate due to his comedic background, Franken demonstrated political acumen and was reelected in 2014 with 53.2% of the vote over Republican challenger Mike McFadden. Franken resigned on January 2, 2018, after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him.

In September 2019, Franken announced he would be hosting The Al Franken Show on Saturday mornings on SiriusXM radio. It covers global affairs, politics, and entertainment.

Early life and education

Franken was born in New York City to Joseph Philip Franken (1908–1993), a printing salesman, and Phoebe Geraldine Franken (née Kunst) (1918–2003), a real estate agent. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Germany; his maternal grandfather came from Grodno, Russian Empire; and his maternal grandmother's parents were also from the Russian Empire. Phoebe was from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Both of his parents were Jews, and Franken was raised in a Reform Jewish home and attended Temple Israel in Minneapolis. He has an older brother, Owen (b. circa 1946), who is a photojournalist, and his cousin Bob is a journalist for MSNBC.

The Frankens moved to Albert Lea, Minnesota, when Al was four years old. His father opened a quilting factory, but it failed after two years. The family then moved to St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. Franken graduated from The Blake School in 1969, where he was a member of the wrestling team. Franken says that he scored 800 (out of 800) on the math section of his SATs and 662 on the verbal section. He attended Harvard College, where he majored in political science, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 1973. As a student, Franken wrote comedy and idolized comedians Dick Gregory and Lenny Bruce because they did acts about hypocrisy and corruption while making the audience laugh.

Franken began performing in high school, where he and his longtime friend and writing partner Tom Davis were known for their comedy. The duo first performed on stage at Minneapolis's Brave New Workshop theater specializing in political satire. They soon found themselves in what was described as "a life of near-total failure on the fringes of show business in Los Angeles".

Saturday Night Live

Franken and Tom Davis were recruited as two of the original writers and occasional performers on Saturday Night Live (SNL) (1975–1980, 1985–1995). In SNL's first season, the two apprentice writers shared a salary of $350 per week. Franken received 15 Emmy nominations and five Emmy awards for his television writing and producing, while creating such characters as self-help guru Stuart Smalley. Another routine proclaimed the 1980s the Al Franken Decade. Franken and Davis wrote the script of the 1986 comedy film One More Saturday Night, appearing in it as rock singers in a band called Bad Mouth. They also had minor roles in All You Need Is Cash and the film Trading Places, starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd.

On Weekend Update near the end of season 5, Franken delivered a commentary called "A Limo for a Lame-O". He mocked controversial NBC president Fred Silverman as "a total unequivocal failure" and displayed a chart showing the poor ratings of NBC programs. As a result of this sketch, Silverman declined Lorne Michaels's recommendation for Franken to succeed him as the producer, and Franken left the show when Michaels did, at the end of the 1979–1980 season. Franken returned to the show in 1985 as a writer and occasional performer. He has acknowledged using cocaine and other illegal drugs while working in television and stated that he stopped after John Belushi died of an overdose. In 1995, Franken left the show in protest over losing the role of Weekend Update anchor to Norm Macdonald.

Post-SNL activities

Main articles: Fox v. Franken and The Al Franken Show

In 1995, Franken wrote and starred in the film Stuart Saves His Family, which was based on his SNL character Stuart Smalley. The film was a critical and commercial failure and Franken became depressed as a result. Despite its aggregate rating of 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film received favorable reviews from The Washington Post and Gene Siskel.

Franken is the author of four books that made The New York Times Best Seller list. His 1996 book Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations topped the New York Times list; the audiobook, which was read by Franken, won a Grammy Award. Another Grammy was awarded for Franken's 2003 Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, a satirical book on American politics and conservatism. The book's title incorporated the Fox News slogan "Fair and Balanced", and had a cover photo of Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly; that August, Fox News sued claiming infringement of its registered trademark phrase. A federal judge found the lawsuit "wholly without merit". The incident focused media attention on Franken's book and, according to him, greatly increased its sales. The publicity resulting from the lawsuit propelled Franken's yet-to-be-released book to number 1 on Amazon.com.

Franken signed a one-year contract in early 2004 to host a talk show for Air America Radio's flagship program with co-host Katherine Lanpher, who remained with the show until October 2005. The network was launched on March 31, 2004. Originally named The O'Franken Factor as a pun on right-wing talk show The O'Reilly Factor, but later renamed The Al Franken Show on July 12, 2004, the show aired three hours a day, five days a week for three years. Its stated goal was to put more progressive views on the public airwaves to counter what Franken perceived as the dominance of conservative syndicated commentary on the radio: "I'm doing this because I want to use my energies to get Bush unelected," he told a New York Times reporter in 2004. Franken's last radio show on Air America Radio was on February 14, 2007, at the end of which he announced his candidacy for the United States Senate.

Franken also co-wrote the film When a Man Loves a Woman, co-created and starred in the NBC sitcom LateLine, and appeared in the 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate.

In 2003, Franken served as a Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. Since 2005 he has been a contributor to The Huffington Post.

Franken toured Iraq several times with the United Service Organizations (USO). On March 25, 2009, he was presented with the USO Metro Merit Award for his ten years of involvement with the organization.

Political activism

According to an article by Richard Corliss published in Time magazine, "In a way, Franken has been running for office since the late '70s." Corliss also hinted at Franken's "possibly ironic role as a relentless self-promoter" in proclaiming the 1980s "The Al Franken Decade" and saying, "Vote for me, Al Franken. You'll be glad you did!" In 1999 Franken released a parody book, Why Not Me?, detailing his hypothetical campaign for president in 2000. He had been a strong supporter of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone and was deeply affected by Wellstone's death in a plane crash shortly before the 2002 election. Wellstone was a mentor and political and personal role model for Franken, who stated his hopes of following in Wellstone's footsteps. Senator Norm Coleman's comment that he was a "99 percent improvement" over Wellstone was an impetus for Franken's run for the Senate.

Franken said he learned that 21% of Americans received most of their news from talk radio, an almost exclusively conservative medium. "I didn't want to sit on the sidelines, and I believed Air America could make a difference", he said. In November 2003 Franken talked about moving back to his home state of Minnesota to run for the Senate. At the time the seat once held by Wellstone was occupied by Republican Norm Coleman. At a 2004 Democratic presidential campaign event, Franken tackled a man who was allegedly threatening other attendees and heckling Governor Howard Dean. In 2005 Franken announced his move to Minnesota: "I can tell you honestly, I don't know if I'm going to run, but I'm doing the stuff I need to do in order to do it." In late 2005 he started his own political action committee, Midwest Values PAC. By early 2007 the PAC had raised more than $1 million.

Franken was the subject of the 2006 documentary film Al Franken: God Spoke, which The New York Times called "an investigation of the phenomenon of ideological celebrity".

Franken initially supported the Iraq War, but opposed the 2007 troop surge. In an interview with MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, he said that he "believed Colin Powell", whose presentation at the United Nations convinced him that the war was necessary, but had since come to believe that "we were misled into the war" and urged the Democratic-controlled Congress to refuse to pass appropriations bills to fund the war if they did not include timetables for leaving Iraq. In an interview with Josh Marshall, Franken said of the Democrats, "I think we've gotta make President George W. Bush say, 'OK, I'm cutting off funding because I won't agree to a timetable.'"

In 2004, Franken favored transitioning to a universal health care system, with the provision that every child in America would receive health care coverage immediately. In 2014, he objected to efforts to privatize Social Security or cut benefits, favoring raising the cap on wages to which Social Security taxes apply. On his 2008 campaign website, he voiced support for cutting subsidies for oil companies, increasing money available for college students, and cutting interest rates on student loans.

During the 2008 election, New York state officials asserted that Al Franken Inc. had failed to carry required workers' compensation insurance for employees who assisted him with his comedy and public speaking from 2002 to 2005. Franken paid a $25,000 fine to the state of New York upon being advised his corporation was out of compliance with the state's workers' compensation laws. At the same time, the California Franchise Tax Board reported that the same corporation owed more than $4,743 in taxes, fines, and associated penalties in the state of California for 2003 through 2007, because the corporation did not file tax returns in the state for those years. A Franken representative said that it followed the advice of an accountant who believed when the corporation stopped doing business in California that no further filing was required. Franken subsequently paid $70,000 in back income taxes in 17 states dating back to 2003, mostly from his speeches and other paid appearances. Franken said he paid the income tax in his state of residence, and he would seek retroactive credit for paying the taxes in the wrong state.

U.S. Senate

2008 elections

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota

Franken campaigning for the U.S. Senate in 2008

On January 29, 2007, Franken announced his departure from Air America Radio, and on the day of his final show, February 14, he formally announced his candidacy for the United States Senate from Minnesota in 2008. Challenging him for the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party endorsement was Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, a professor, author, and activist; trial lawyer Mike Ciresi; and attorney and human rights activist Jim Cohen, who dropped out of the race early. Franken won the nomination with 65% of the vote.

On July 8, 2007, Franken's campaign stated that it expected to announce that he had raised more money than his Republican opponent, Norm Coleman, during the second quarter of the year, taking in $1.9 million to Coleman's $1.6 million, although in early July 2007, Coleman's $3.8 million cash on hand exceeded Franken's $2 million.

In May 2008, the Minnesota Republican Party released a letter about an article Franken had written for Playboy magazine in 2000 titled "Porn-O-Rama!" The letter, signed by six prominent GOP women, including a state senator and state representative, called on Franken to apologize for what they called a "demeaning and degrading" article. His campaign spokesman responded, "Al had a long career as a satirist. But he understands the difference between what you say as a satirist and what you do as a senator. And as a Senator, Norm Coleman has disrespected the people of Minnesota by putting the Exxons and Halliburtons ahead of working families. And there's nothing funny about that."

On June 7, 2008, Franken was endorsed by the DFL. In a July 2008 interview with CNN, he was endorsed by Ben Stein, an entertainer, speechwriter, lawyer and author known for his conservative views, who generally supported Republican candidates. Stein said of Franken, "He is my pal, and he is a really, really capable smart guy. I don't agree with all of his positions, but he is a very impressive guy, and I think he should be in the Senate."

During his campaign, Franken was criticized for advising SNL creator Lorne Michaels on a political sketch ridiculing Senator John McCain's ads attacking Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Coleman's campaign reacted, saying, "Once again, he proves he's more interested in entertainment than service, and ridiculing those with whom he disagrees."

Preliminary reports on election night, November 4, were that Coleman was leading by over 700 votes, but the official results, certified on November 18, 2008, had Coleman leading by only 215 votes. As the two candidates were separated by less than 0.5 percent of the votes cast, the Minnesota Secretary of State, Mark Ritchie authorized the automatic recount provided for in Minnesota election law. In the recount, ballots and certifying materials were examined by hand, and candidates could file challenges to the legality of ballots or materials for inclusion or exclusion. On January 5, 2009, the Minnesota State Canvassing Board certified the recounted vote totals, with Franken ahead by 225 votes.

On January 6, 2009, Coleman's campaign filed an election contest which led to a trial before a three-judge panel. The trial ended on April 7, when the panel ruled that 351 of 387 disputed absentee ballots were incorrectly rejected and ordered them counted. Counting those ballots raised Franken's lead to 312 votes. Coleman appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court on April 20. On April 24 the Minnesota Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. Oral arguments were conducted on June 1.

On June 30, 2009, the Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously rejected Coleman's appeal and said that Franken was entitled to be certified as the winner. Shortly after the court's decision, Coleman conceded. Governor Tim Pawlenty signed Franken's election certificate that evening.

2014 elections

Main article: 2014 United States Senate election in Minnesota

Franken was reelected to a second term in 2014. He won the August 12 primary election, in which he was challenged by Sandra Henningsgard, with 94.5% of the vote. He won the general election against the Republican nominee, Mike McFadden with 53.2% of the vote.

Tenure

Franken was sworn into the Senate on July 7, 2009, 246 days after the election. He took the oath of office with the Bible of late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, whose old seat Senate leaders set aside for Franken.

On August 6, 2009, Franken presided over the confirmation vote of Sonia Sotomayor to be an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. On August 5, 2010, Franken presided over the confirmation vote of Elena Kagan. His first piece of legislation, the Service Dogs for Veterans Act, which he wrote jointly with Republican Senator Johnny Isakson, passed the Senate by unanimous consent. It established a program with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to pair disabled veterans with service dogs.

A video of Franken at the Minnesota State Fair on September 2, 2009, engaging in a discussion with a group of Tea Party protesters on health care reform, began circulating on the Internet and soon went viral. The discussion was noted for its civility, in contrast to the explosive character of several other discussions between members of the 111th Congress and their constituents that had occurred over the summer.

During the debate on health care reform, Franken was one of the strongest supporters of a single-payer system. He authored an amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act called the Medical Loss Ratio, which required that insurance companies spend at least 80% of premiums on actual health care costs, and 85% for large group plans. On September 30, 2013, Franken voted to remove a provision that would repeal Obamacare's medical device tax from a government funding bill, saying that though he supported the provision, he disagreed with its being used as a condition for preventing the 2013 federal government shutdown.

Citing the case of Jamie Leigh Jones, Franken introduced a limit to the arbitration policy of the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill that withheld defense contracts from companies that restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery, and discrimination cases to court. It passed the Senate in November 2010, 68 to 30, in a roll-call vote.

In May 2010 Franken proposed a financial-reform amendment that created a board to select which credit rating agency would evaluate a given security. At the time, any company issuing a security could select the company that evaluated the security. The amendment passed, but the financial industry lobbied to have it removed from the final bill. Negotiations between the Senate and House, whose version of financial reform did not include such a provision, resulted in the amendment's being watered down to require only a series of studies being done on the issue for two years. After the studies, if the Securities and Exchange Commission had not implemented another solution to the conflict-of-interest problem, Franken's solution would go into effect.

In August 2010, Franken made faces and hand gestures and rolled his eyes while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a speech in opposition to the confirmation of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. McConnell responded, "This isn't Saturday Night Live, Al." After Kagan's confirmation, Franken delivered a handwritten apology to McConnell and issued a public statement saying that McConnell had a right "to give his speech with the presiding officer just listening respectfully".

The National Journal reported in 2013 that Franken supported the National Security Agency's data mining programs, believing they had saved lives, and that "I can assure you, this is not about spying on the American people."

In 2013, Franken received the Stewart B. McKinney Award for his work fighting homelessness.

When Franken declared his intention to seek reelection in 2014, his seat was thought to be a top target for the Republicans because of his very slim margin of victory in 2008. But Politico reported that his high approval rating, his large campaign fund, and the Republicans' struggle to find a top-tier candidate meant he was a "heavy favorite" to win reelection, and Franken won the race comfortably.

In 2015, during Loretta Lynch's confirmation hearings, Franken asked her about the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, reiterating concern for the aggressive prosecution of Aaron Swartz in United States v. Swartz.

The Associated Press noted in 2013 that, contrary to expectations, Franken did not seek out the media spotlight: "He rarely talks to the Washington press corps, has shed his comedic persona and focused on policy, working to be taken seriously." In interviews he expressed his desire to be known for a focus on constituency work, keeping his head down, and working hard.

Franken was an effective fundraiser for the Democrats. By late 2015, his political action committee had raised more than $5 million in donations. In 2016, his PAC raised $3.3 million. According to The Star Tribune, Franken was able to "draw crowds and donations across the country".

Franken condemned the genocide of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar and called for a stronger response to the crisis.

In September 2016, in advance of UN Security Council resolution 2334 condemning Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, Franken signed an AIPAC-sponsored letter urging Obama to veto "one-sided" resolutions against Israel. Franken supported an Anti-Boycott Act, which would make it legal for U.S. states to refuse to do business with contractors that engage in boycotts against Israel.

In July 2017 Franken voted in favor of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act that placed sanctions on Iran, Russia, and North Korea.

Sexual misconduct allegations

On November 16, 2017, radio broadcaster and model Leeann Tweeden alleged in a blog post and an interview with her radio station, 790 KABC, that Franken kissed her on a 2006 USO tour during a rehearsal for a skit. She wrote, "I said 'OK' so he would stop badgering me. We did the line leading up to the kiss and then he came at me, put his hand on the back of my head, mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth." She said she pushed him away, feeling "disgusted and violated". Roger Stone circulated news of the allegations to right-wing media.

During the 2006 tour, Franken was photographed holding his hands above Tweeden's breasts while she was asleep wearing body armor and a helmet. In Franken's defense, CNBC's John Harwood said, "That pic was obviously a joke, not groping, just like LeeAnn Tweeden wrapping her leg around Robin Williams and smacking his butt; entertainment for soldiers deployed overseas is raunchy like that." Harwood was referring to video taken of Tweeden "humping" the married Williams on a similar 2004 USO tour.

In response, Franken said, "I certainly don't remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann ... As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny but wasn't. I shouldn't have done it." A few hours later, Franken issued a longer apology, which Tweeden accepted.

In the days that followed, seven additional women came forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior during photo ops. Lindsay Menz accused Franken of touching her clothed "upper" buttocks while they posed for a photo at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010. Two anonymous women made similar complaints related to events during political events. Franken apologized, saying, "I've met tens of thousands of people and taken thousands of photographs, often in crowded and chaotic situations. I'm a warm person; I hug people. I've learned from recent stories that in some of those encounters, I crossed a line for some women—and I know that any number is too many." Another anonymous woman said that after she was a guest on Franken's radio show in 2006, Franken leaned in toward her face during a handshake and gave her "a wet, open-mouthed kiss" on the cheek when she turned her face aside. The same day, Stephanie Kemplin, an army veteran, told CNN that Franken held the side of her breast for 5 to 10 seconds "and never moved his hand" while posing for a photograph with her during a 2003 USO tour in Iraq.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent Tweeden's accusations to the Senate Ethics Committee for review, a decision supported by members of both parties, including Franken. On November 30 the committee announced that it was investigating allegations against him. Some liberal groups and commentators, including the Indivisible movement and Sally Kohn, called on Franken to resign. On December 6, two more accusations surfaced, one by an anonymous congressional aide about an attempted kiss at his radio show studio, and one by congressional aide Tina Dupuy that Franken squeezed her waist at a party before he took office. More than two dozen Democratic senators, led by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, called on Franken to resign before the ethics committee could review the allegations.

Resignation

Although Franken had asked to be allowed to appear before the Senate Ethics Committee to give his side of the story, on December 6 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told him he had to announce his resignation by five o’clock or he could be censured and stripped of committee assignments. On December 7, Franken announced his intention to resign his Senate seat. He called some of the accusations "simply not true" and said he remembered others "very differently". In his resignation speech he made comparisons to Republican politicians, saying he was "aware of the irony" that President Trump remained in office despite the comments Trump made in the Access Hollywood tape released a month before his election, and that the Republican Party supported Roy Moore's Senate campaign despite the many allegations of harassment and molestation against Moore. Franken resigned on January 2, 2018, and Minnesota governor Mark Dayton appointed the lieutenant governor, Tina Smith, to Franken's seat until a November 2018 special election, which Smith won.

Aftermath

After resigning from the Senate, Franken canceled appointments with close friends and ignored phone calls from others. "It got pretty dark, I became clinically depressed. I wasn't a hundred percent cognitively. I needed medication", he said.

Reporting in 2019 by New Yorker journalist Jane Mayer documented substantial inaccuracies in Tweeden's allegations. Seven former or current senators who called for Franken's resignation in 2017 told Mayer they regretted doing so. Patrick Leahy said calling for Franken's resignation without having all the facts was "one of the biggest mistakes I've made" as a senator. New Mexico senator Tom Udall said, "I made a mistake. I started having second thoughts shortly after he stepped down. He had the right to be heard by an independent investigative body. I've heard from people around my state, and around the country, saying that they think he got railroaded. It doesn't seem fair. I'm a lawyer. I really believe in due process." Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "It's terrible what happened to him. It was unfair. It took the legs out from under him. He was a very fine senator."

Accusations that the forced resignation was unfair were described as a liability to Gillibrand's presidential campaign in mid-2019. In a 2018 Politico article, Franken supporters accused Gillibrand of doing damage that Republicans could not have done, given Franken's effectiveness in the Senate. Prominent Democratic fundraiser Susie Tompkins Buell said that the episode "stained reputation as a fair player. I do hear people refer to Kirsten Gillibrand as 'opportunistic' and shrewd at the expense of others to advance herself, and it seems to have been demonstrated in her rapid treatment of her colleague Al Franken. I heard her referred to as 'She would eat her own,' and she seems to have demonstrated that. I know thought she was doing the right thing, but I think she will be remembered by this rush to judgment. I have heard some of her women colleagues regret joining her."

In 2019, Franken said that he was sorry that he made some women feel uncomfortable, and that while he was still trying to understand what he did wrong, he felt that differentiating dissimilar kinds of behavior is important. "The idea that anybody who accuses someone of something is always right—that's not the case. That isn't reality," he said.

In September 2019, a ninth accuser told New York magazine that in 2006 Franken touched her buttock in a photo line at an event for Patty Murray. The unnamed woman, described as a "former staffer who served on Democratic campaigns and works at a large progressive organization", said she had not come forward because she feared it would be held against her in her career. In response, Franken told New York, "Two years ago, I would have sworn that I'd never done anything to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but it's clear that I must have been doing something. As I've said before, I feel terrible that anyone came away from an interaction with me feeling bad."

In a February 9, 2022, interview with Washington Post Live, Franken said he regretted resigning from the Senate and might run for public office again.

Committee assignments

In the Senate, Franken served on the following committees:

Post-Senate career

After his resignation, Franken went into a period of self-imposed isolation and, in May 2019, started The Al Franken Podcast. Around the same time, Franken went on tour with a non-comedic show that he did from a podium and with notes. The COVID-19 pandemic put the show on hold, but when clubs reopened, he made unannounced shows at the Comedy Cellar in Manhattan. In the fall of 2021, his first post-quarantine theater show took place in Northampton, Massachusetts, in front of a friendly audience. The solo show, called The Only Former US Senator Currently on Tour Tour, continued into 2022. In March 2023, Franken guest-hosted The Daily Show after Trevor Noah's departure.

Personal life

Franken met his wife, Franni Bryson, during his first year at Harvard. In 2005 they moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. They have a daughter, a son, and four grandchildren. Their daughter, Thomasin, has degrees from Harvard and the French Culinary Institute; as of 2011 she is the director of extended learning at DC Prep, an organization in Washington, D.C., that manages charter schools. Their son, Joseph, works in the finance industry. Franken is a second cousin of the actor Steve Franken, known for his appearances in the television series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

Franken has said that he "very strongly" identifies "as a Jew—as a pretty secular Jew". He has also said he believes in God.

In the summer of 2021, Franken moved back to New York City, settling on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Bibliography

I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!: Daily Affirmations By Stuart Smalley (Random House Publishing Group, 1992) ISBN 9780440504702
Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations (Delacorte Press, 1996) ISBN 0-385-31474-4
Why Not Me?: The Inside Story of the Making and Unmaking of the Franken Presidency (Delacorte Press, 1999) ISBN 0-385-31809-X
Oh, the Things I Know!: A Guide to Success, or Failing That, Happiness (Plume Books, 2003) ISBN 0-452-28450-3
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right (Dutton Books, 2003) ISBN 0-525-94764-7
The Truth (With Jokes) (Dutton Books, 2005) ISBN 0-525-94906-2
Al Franken, Giant of the Senate (Grand Central Publishing, 2017) ISBN 1455540412

Filmography

Year	Work	Writer	Actor	Cameo	Notes
1976	Tunnel Vision		Yes		Role: Al
1977–1980	Saturday Night Live	Yes	Yes	Yes
1977	The Paul Simon Special	Yes
1978	All You Need is Cash		Yes		Role: Extra
1981	Grateful Dead: Dead Ahead	Yes	Yes		Concert video Role: Host
1981	Steve Martin's Best Show Ever	Yes
1981	Bob and Ray, Jane, Laraine and Gilda	Yes
1981	The Coneheads	Yes
1983	Trading Places		Yes		Role: Baggage handler
1984	Franken and Davis at Stockton State	Yes
1984	The New Show	Yes
1986	Saturday Night Live	Yes	Yes	Yes
1986	One More Saturday Night	Yes	Yes		Role: Paul Flum
1988–1995	Saturday Night Live	Yes	Yes	Yes
1993	Coneheads	Yes
1994	When a Man Loves a Woman	Yes
1995	Stuart Saves His Family	Yes	Yes		Role: Stuart Smalley
1997	3rd Rock from the Sun		Yes		Episode: "Dick the Vote"
1997	The Larry Sanders Show			Yes	Episode: "The Roast"
1998–1999	LateLine	Yes	Yes	Yes
1998	From the Earth to the Moon		Yes		TV miniseries Role: Jerome Wiesner
2001	Harvard Man			Yes
2004	Outfoxed		Yes		Role: Air America host
2004	The Manchurian Candidate			Yes
2004–2007	The Al Franken Show	Yes	Yes		Host of radio talk show
2004	Tanner on Tanner			Yes
2006	Al Franken: God Spoke			Yes	Documentary
2011	Hot Coffee			Yes	Documentary
2017	Long Strange Trip			Yes	Documentary, as himself
2020	The Al Franken Podcast	Yes	Yes		Podcast, as himself
2022	Jimmy Kimmel Live!				Guest host
2023	The Daily Show				Guest host

Electoral history

2008

2008 Minnesota U.S. Senate election
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Al Franken	164,136	65.34
	Democratic (DFL)	Priscilla Lord	74,655	29.72
	Democratic (DFL)	Dick Franson	3,923	1.56
	Democratic (DFL)	Bob Larson	3,152	1.25
	Democratic (DFL)	Rob Fitzgerald	3,095	1.23
	Democratic (DFL)	Ole Savior	1,227	0.49
	Democratic (DFL)	Alve Erickson	1,017	0.40
Total votes			251,205	100%
General election
	Democratic (DFL)	Al Franken	1,212,629	41.994
	Republican	Norm Coleman (incumbent)	1,212,317	41.983
	Independence	Dean Barkley	437,505	15.151
	Libertarian	Charles Aldrich	13,923	0.482
	Constitution	James Niemackl	8,907	0.308
	Write-in		2,365	0.082
Margin of victory			312	0.011
Total votes			2,887,646	100%
	Democratic (DFL) gain from Republican

2014

2014 Minnesota U.S. Senate election
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Al Franken	182,720	94.50
	Democratic (DFL)	Sandra Henningsgard	10,627	5.50
Total votes			193,347	100%
General election
	Democratic (DFL)	Al Franken (incumbent)	1,053,205	53.15
	Republican	Mike McFadden	850,227	42.91
	Independence	Steve Carlson	47,530	2.40
	Libertarian	Heather Johnson	29,685	1.50
	Write-in		881	0.04
Margin of victory			202,978	10.24
Total votes			1,981,528	100%
	Democratic (DFL) hold

Explanatory notes

Franken was elected to the term beginning January 3, 2009, but did not take his seat until July 7, 2009, because of a recount and a subsequent election challenge.

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External links

alfranken.com, the website of Franken's, or made on behalf of him, as archived by the Wayback Machine on February 24, 2018
Franken's previous U.S. Senate website as archived by the Wayback Machine on January 6, 2018
Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
Profile at Vote Smart
Appearances on C-SPAN
Al Franken at IMDb

Media offices
Preceded byAndrew Smith	Head Writer of Saturday Night Live 1985–1986 Served alongside: Tom Davis	Succeeded byJim Downey
Preceded byBob Tischler		Succeeded byJim Downey
Party political offices
Preceded byWalter Mondale	Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Minnesota (Class 2) 2008, 2014	Succeeded byTina Smith
U.S. Senate
Preceded byNorm Coleman	U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Minnesota 2009–2018 Served alongside: Amy Klobuchar	Succeeded byTina Smith
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byPete Wilsonas Former US Senator	Order of precedence of the United States	Succeeded byJohn Ensignas Former US Senator

v t e Al Franken
Bibliography	Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations (1996) Why Not Me? (1999) Oh, the Things I Know! (2003) Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them (2003) The Truth (with Jokes) (2005)
Political career	2017–18 United States political sexual scandals Employee Free Choice Act Medical Loss Ratio Student Non-Discrimination Act 2008 U.S. Senate election 2014 U.S. Senate election Weinstein effect
See also	The Al Franken Show Air America Radio Saturday Night Live Stuart Smalley Stuart Saves His Family When A Man Loves a Woman (1994 film, co-writer) LateLine Al Franken: God Spoke (2006 documentary) Fox v. Franken Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
People	Tom Davis Amy Klobuchar Tina Smith Norm Coleman Mike McFadden Leeann Tweeden
Category

Awards for Al Franken

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series (1970–1979)

Gary Belkin, Peter Bellwood, Thomas Meehan, Herb Sargent and Judith Viorst (1970)
Herbert Baker, Hal Goodman, Larry Klein, Bob Schiller, Norman Steinberg, Bob Weiskopf and Flip Wilson (1971)
Art Baer, Roger Beatty, Stan Burns, Stan Hart, Don Hinkley, Ben Joelson, Woody Kling, Mike Marmer, Arnie Rosen and Larry Siegel (1972)
Bill Angelos, Roger Beatty, Stan Hart, Robert Hilliard, Woody Kling, Arnie Kogen, Buz Kohan, Gail Parent, Tom Patchett, Larry Siegel and Jay Tarses (1973)
Rosalyn Drexler, Ann Elder, Karyl Geld Miller, Robert Illes, Lorne Michaels, Richard Pryor, Jim Rusk, Herb Sargent, James R. Stein, Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, Rod Warren and George Yanok (1974)
Roger Beatty, Gary Belkin, Dick Clair, Rudy De Luca, Arnie Kogen, Barry Harman, Barry Levinson, Jenna McMahon, Gene Perret, Bill Richmond and Ed Simmons (1974)
Roger Beatty, Gary Belkin, Dick Clair, Rudy De Luca, Arnie Kogen, Barry Levinson, Jenna McMahon, Gene Perret, Bill Richmond and Ed Simmons (1975)
Anne Beatts, Chevy Chase, Tom Davis, Al Franken, Lorne Michaels, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Michael O'Donoghue, Herb Sargent, Tom Schiller, Rosie Shuster and Alan Zweibel (1976)
Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Tom Davis, James Downey, Al Franken, Lorne Michaels, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Bill Murray, Michael O'Donoghue, Herb Sargent, Tom Schiller, Rosie Shuster and Alan Zweibel (1977)
Roger Beatty, Dick Clair, Tim Conway, Rick Hawkins, Robert Illes, Jenna McMahon, Gene Perret, Bill Richmond, Liz Sage, Larry Siegel, Franelle Silver, Ed Simmons and James R. Stein (1978)
Alan Alda (1979)

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series (1980–1989)

Buz Kohan (1980)
Jerry Juhl, Chris Langham and David Odell (1981)
Jeffrey Barron, Dick Blasucci, John Candy, Chris Cluess, Bob Dolman, Joe Flaherty, Paul Flaherty, Stuart Kreisman, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, John McAndrew, Brian McConnachie, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, Mert Rich, Michael Short, Doug Steckler and Dave Thomas (1982)
Dick Blasucci, John Candy, Bob Dolman, Joe Flaherty, Paul Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, John McAndrew, Martin Short, Michael Short, Doug Steckler and Mary Charlotte Wilcox (1983)
Chris Elliott, Sanford Frank, Ted Greenberg, David Letterman, Merrill Markoe, Jeff Martin, Gerard Mulligan, Steve O'Donnell, Joe Toplyn, Matt Wickline and David Yazbek (1984)
Randy Cohen, Kevin Curran, Chris Elliott, Sandy Frank, Eddie Gorodetsky, Fred Graver, Larry Jacobson, David Letterman, Merrill Markoe, Jeff Martin, Gerard Mulligan, Joe Toplyn and Matt Wickline (1985)
Randy Cohen, Kevin Curran, Chris Elliott, Sandy Frank, Fred Graver, Larry Jacobson, David Letterman, Merrill Markoe, Jeff Martin, Gerard Mulligan, Steve O'Donnell, Joe Toplyn and Matt Wickline (1986)
Randy Cohen, Kevin Curran, Chris Elliott, Sandy Frank, Fred Graver, Larry Jacobson, David Letterman, Jeff Martin, Gerard Mulligan, Steve O'Donnell, Adam Resnick, Joe Toplyn and Matt Wickline (1987)
Jackie Mason (1988)
John Bowman, A. Whitney Brown, Greg Daniels, Tom Davis, James Downey, Al Franken, Shannon Gaughan, Jack Handey, Phil Hartman, George Meyer, Lorne Michaels, Mike Myers, Conan O'Brien, Bob Odenkirk, Herb Sargent, Tom Schiller, Robert Smigel, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner and Christine Zander (1989)

v t e Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special
1971–1978	Bob Ellison and Marty Farrell (1971) Anne Howard Bailey (1972) Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor (1973) Rosalyn Drexler, Ann Elder, Karyl Geld Miller, Robert Illes, Lorne Michaels, Richard Pryor, Jim Rusk, Herb Sargent, James R. Stein, Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, Rod Warren, and George Yanok (1974) John Bradford, Cy Coleman, and Robert Wells (1975) Ann Elder, Christopher Guest, Lorne Michaels, Earl Pomerantz, Jim Rusk, Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, Rod Warren, and George Yanok (1976) Buz Kohan and Ted Strauss (1977) Chevy Chase, Tom Davis, Al Franken, Charles Grodin, Lorne Michaels, Paul Simon, Lily Tomlin, and Alan Zweibel (1978)
2009–present	Chris Rock (2009) Dave Boone and Paul Greenberg (2010) Dave Boone, Matt Roberts, and Mo Rocca (2011) Louis C.K. (2012) Louis C.K. (2013) Sarah Silverman (2014) Louis C.K. (2015) Patton Oswalt (2016) Samantha Bee, Ashley Nicole Black, Pat Cassels, Eric Drysdale, Mathan Erhardt, Travon Free, Joe Grossman, Miles Kahn, Jo Miller, and Melinda Taub (2017) John Mulaney (2018) Hannah Gadsby (2019) Dave Chappelle (2020) Bo Burnham (2021) Jerrod Carmichael (2022) John Mulaney (2023) Alex Edelman (2024)
Between 1979–2008, writing specials competed alongside Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.

v t e Evelyn F. Burkey Award
1970s	Fred Coe (1978) Barbara Schultz (1979)
1980s	Walter Cronkite (1980) Elmer Lower (1981) Herman Brodkin (1982) Alan Wagner (1983) Leonard Wasser (1984) Jerome B. Lurie (1985) Athol Fugard & Lloyd Richards (1986) Edwin Newman (1987) Andy Rooney, Local 1101 & District 1 of the Communications Workers of America (1988) Horton Foote (1989)
1990s	Art Buchwald (1990) George Schaefer (1991) Jacqueline Babbin (1992) Arthur Miller (1993) Joan Ganz Cooney (1994) Dennis Potter (1995) Ken Saro-Wiwa (1996) Sidney Lumet (1997) Judy Crichton (1998) David Brown (1999)
2000s	Václav Havel (2000) Tom Fontana (2001) Colin Callender (2002) Martin Scorsese (2003) John McCain (2004) Claire Labine (2005) Museum of Television and Radio (2006) Joan Didion (2007) Walter Bernstein (2008) Committee to Protect Journalists (2009)
2010s	Edward Albee (2010) Archive of American Television (2011) Not presented (2012) Not presented (2013) James Schamus (2014) Norman Lear (2015) Al Franken (2016) Not presented (2017) Not presented (2018) Franklin Leonard (2019)
2020s	Not presented (2020) Not presented (2021) Dick Cavett (2022) Not presented (2023)

v t e Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album
1950s	"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" – Ross Bagdasarian Sr. (1958) The Battle of Kookamonga – Homer and Jethro / Inside Shelley Berman – Shelley Berman (1959)
1960s	Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris – Jo Stafford & Paul Weston / The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back! – Bob Newhart (1960) An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May – Elaine May & Mike Nichols (1961) The First Family – Vaughn Meader (1962) "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)" – Allan Sherman (1963) I Started Out as a Child – Bill Cosby (1964) Why Is There Air? – Bill Cosby (1965) Wonderfulness – Bill Cosby (1966) Revenge – Bill Cosby (1967) To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With – Bill Cosby (1968) Sports – Bill Cosby (1969)
1970s	The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress – Flip Wilson (1970) This Is A Recording – Lily Tomlin (1971) FM & AM – George Carlin (1972) Los Cochinos – Cheech & Chong (1973) That Nigger's Crazy – Richard Pryor (1974) ...Is It Something I Said? – Richard Pryor (1975) Bicentennial Nigger – Richard Pryor (1976) Let's Get Small – Steve Martin (1977) A Wild and Crazy Guy – Steve Martin (1978) Reality...What a Concept – Robin Williams (1979)
1980s	No Respect – Rodney Dangerfield (1980) Rev. Du Rite – Richard Pryor (1981) Live on the Sunset Strip – Richard Pryor (1982) Eddie Murphy: Comedian – Eddie Murphy (1983) "Eat It" – "Weird Al" Yankovic (1984) Whoopi Goldberg (Original Broadway Show Recording) – Whoopi Goldberg (1985) Those of You with or Without Children, You'll Understand – Bill Cosby (1986) A Night at the Met – Robin Williams (1987) Good Morning, Vietnam – Robin Williams (1988) P.D.Q. Bach: 1712 Overture and Other Musical Assaults – Peter Schickele (1989)
1990s	P.D.Q. Bach: Oedipus Tex and Other Choral Calamities – Peter Schickele (1990) P.D.Q. Bach: WTWP Classical Talkity-Talk Radio – Peter Schickele (1991) P.D.Q. Bach: Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion – Peter Schickele (1992) Jammin' in New York – George Carlin (1993) Live from Hell – Sam Kinison (1994) Crank(y) Calls – Jonathan Winters (1995) Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations – Al Franken (1996) Roll with the New – Chris Rock (1997) The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000 – Mel Brooks & Carl Reiner (1998) Bigger & Blacker – Chris Rock (1999)
2000s	Brain Droppings – George Carlin (2000) Napalm & Silly Putty – George Carlin (2001) Robin Williams: Live on Broadway – Robin Williams (2002) Poodle Hat – "Weird Al" Yankovic (2003) The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents ... America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction – Jon Stewart and the cast of The Daily Show (2004) Never Scared – Chris Rock (2005) The Carnegie Hall Performance – Lewis Black (2006) The Distant Future – Flight of the Conchords (2007) It's Bad for Ya – George Carlin (2008) A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! – Stephen Colbert (2009)
2010s	Stark Raving Black – Lewis Black (2010) Hilarious – Louis C.K. (2011) Blow Your Pants Off – Jimmy Fallon (2012) Calm Down Gurrl – Kathy Griffin (2013) Mandatory Fun – "Weird Al" Yankovic (2014) Live at Madison Square Garden – Louis C.K. (2015) Talking for Clapping – Patton Oswalt (2016) The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas – Dave Chappelle (2017) Equanimity & The Bird Revelation – Dave Chappelle (2018) Sticks and Stones – Dave Chappelle (2019)
2020s	Black Mitzvah – Tiffany Haddish (2020) Sincerely Louis CK – Louis C.K. (2021) The Closer – Dave Chappelle (2022) What's In a Name? – Dave Chappelle (2023)

v t e Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording
1950s	The Best of the Stan Freberg Shows – Stan Freberg (1958) Lincoln Portrait – Carl Sandburg (1959)
1960s	FDR Speaks – Robert Bialek (producer) (1960) Humor in Music – Leonard Bernstein (1961) The Story-Teller: A Session with Charles Laughton – Charles Laughton (1962) Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Edward Albee (playwright) (1963) BBC Tribute to John F. Kennedy – That Was the Week That Was (1964) John F. Kennedy: As We Remember Him – Goddard Lieberson (producer) (1965) Edward R. Murrow - A Reporter Remembers, Vol. I: The War Years – Edward R. Murrow (1966) Gallant Men – Everett Dirksen (1967) Lonesome Cities – Rod McKuen (1968) We Love You Call Collect – Art Linkletter & Diane Linkletter (1969)
1970s	Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam – Martin Luther King Jr. (1970) Desiderata – Les Crane (1971) Lenny – Bruce Botnick (producer) & the Original Broadway Cast (1972) Jonathan Livingston Seagull – Richard Harris (1973) Good Evening – Peter Cook and Dudley Moore (1974) Give 'em Hell, Harry! – James Whitmore (1975) Great American Documents – Henry Fonda, Helen Hayes, James Earl Jones, and Orson Welles (1976) The Belle of Amherst – Julie Harris (1977) Citizen Kane (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Orson Welles (1978) Ages of Man: Readings from Shakespeare – John Gielgud (1979)
1980s	Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein – Pat Carroll (1980) Donovan's Brain – Orson Welles (1981) Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Movie on Record – Tom Voegeli (producer) and Various Artists (1982) Lincoln Portrait – William Warfield (1983) The Words of Gandhi – Ben Kingsley (1984) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – Mike Berniker (producer) & the Original Broadway Cast (1985) Interviews from the Class of '55 Recording Sessions – Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chips Moman, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, and Sam Phillips (1986) Lake Wobegon Days – Garrison Keillor (1987) Speech by Rev. Jesse Jackson – Jesse Jackson (1988) It's Always Something – Gilda Radner (1989)
1990s	Gracie: A Love Story – George Burns (1990) The Civil War – Ken Burns (1991) What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS – Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Robert O'Keefe (1992) On the Pulse of Morning – Maya Angelou (1993) Get in the Van – Henry Rollins (1994) Phenomenal Woman – Maya Angelou (1995) It Takes a Village – Hillary Clinton (1996) Charles Kuralt's Spring – Charles Kuralt (1997) Still Me – Christopher Reeve (1998) The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. – LeVar Burton (1999)
2000s	The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography – Sidney Poitier, Rick Harris, and John Runnette (producers) (2000) Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones – Quincy Jones, Jeffrey S. Thomas, Steven Strassman (engineers), and Elisa Shokoff (producer) (2001) A Song Flung Up to Heaven – Maya Angelou and Charles B. Potter (producer) (2002) Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them – Al Franken and Paul Ruben (producer) (2003) My Life – Bill Clinton (2004) Dreams from My Father – Barack Obama (2005) Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis – Jimmy Carter / With Ossie and Ruby – Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee (2006) The Audacity of Hope – Barack Obama and Jacob Bronstein (producer) (2007) An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore – Beau Bridges, Cynthia Nixon, and Blair Underwood (2008) Always Looking Up – Michael J. Fox (2009)
2010s	The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook) – Jon Stewart (2010) If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) – Betty White (2011) Society's Child – Janis Ian (2012) America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't – Stephen Colbert (2013) Diary of a Mad Diva – Joan Rivers (2014) A Full Life: Reflections at 90 – Jimmy Carter (2015) In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox – Carol Burnett (2016) The Princess Diarist – Carrie Fisher (2017) Faith: A Journey for All – Jimmy Carter (2018) Becoming – Michelle Obama (2019)
2020s	Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth – Rachel Maddow (2020) Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation from John Lewis − Don Cheadle (2021) Finding Me – Viola Davis (2022) The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times – Michelle Obama (2023)

v t e United States senators from Minnesota
Class 1	Rice Ramsey McMillan Davis Towne Clapp Kellogg Shipstead Thye McCarthy H. Humphrey M. Humphrey Durenberger Grams Dayton Klobuchar
Class 2	Shields Wilkinson Norton Windom Stearns Windom Edgerton Windom Sabin Washburn K. Nelson Johnson Schall Benson Howard Lundeen Ball A. Nelson Ball H. Humphrey Mondale Anderson Boschwitz Wellstone Barkley Coleman Franken Smith

Minnesota's delegation(s) to the 111th–115th United States Congresses (ordered by seniority)

111th	Senate: ▌A. Klobuchar (DFL) ▌A. Franken (DFL)	House: ▌J. Oberstar (DFL) ▌C. Peterson (DFL) ▌B. McCollum (DFL) ▌J. Kline (R) ▌M. Bachmann (R) ▌K. Ellison (DFL) ▌T. Walz (DFL) ▌E. Paulsen (R)
112th	Senate: ▌A. Klobuchar (DFL) ▌A. Franken (DFL)	House: ▌C. Peterson (DFL) ▌B. McCollum (DFL) ▌J. Kline (R) ▌M. Bachmann (R) ▌K. Ellison (DFL) ▌T. Walz (DFL) ▌E. Paulsen (R) ▌C. Cravaack (R)
113th	Senate: ▌A. Klobuchar (DFL) ▌A. Franken (DFL)	House: ▌C. Peterson (DFL) ▌B. McCollum (DFL) ▌J. Kline (R) ▌M. Bachmann (R) ▌K. Ellison (DFL) ▌T. Walz (DFL) ▌R. Nolan (DFL) ▌E. Paulsen (R)
114th	Senate: ▌A. Klobuchar (DFL) ▌A. Franken (DFL)	House: ▌C. Peterson (DFL) ▌B. McCollum (DFL) ▌J. Kline (R) ▌K. Ellison (DFL) ▌T. Walz (DFL) ▌R. Nolan (DFL) ▌E. Paulsen (R) ▌T. Emmer (R)
115th	Senate: ▌A. Klobuchar (DFL) ▌A. Franken (DFL) ▌T. Smith (DFL)	House: ▌C. Peterson (DFL) ▌B. McCollum (DFL) ▌K. Ellison (DFL) ▌T. Walz (DFL) ▌R. Nolan (DFL) ▌E. Paulsen (R) ▌T. Emmer (R) ▌J. Lewis (R)

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