Al Franken
Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American politician, comedian, writer, actor, and media personality who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. Franken 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 prominent liberal political activist, hosting The Al Franken Show on Air America Radio.
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 May 21, 1951 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Franni Bryson (m. 1975) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Signature | |
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. He 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.