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Quick Facts
- NAME: Al Franken
- OCCUPATION: Television Actor, Comedian, U.S. Representative, Radio Talk Show Host, Television Producer, Screenwriter
- BIRTH DATE: May 21, 1951 (Age: 61)
- EDUCATION: The Blake School, Harvard College
- PLACE OF BIRTH: New York, New York
- Full Name: Alan Stuart Franken
- ZODIAC SIGN: Gemini
Best Known For
Al Franken is the junior senator of Minnesota who first gained notice as a comedian and political satirist during his long tenure on Saturday Night Live.
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Play NowAl Franken. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:38, May 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/al-franken-9542255.
Al Franken. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/al-franken-9542255 [Accessed 20 May 2013].
"Al Franken." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 20 2013, 08:38 http://www.biography.com/people/al-franken-9542255.
"Al Franken," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/al-franken-9542255 [accessed May 20, 2013].
"Al Franken," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/al-franken-9542255 (accessed May 20, 2013).
Al Franken [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/al-franken-9542255.
Al Franken, http://www.biography.com/people/al-franken-9542255 (last visited May 20, 2013).
Al Franken. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/al-franken-9542255. Accessed May 20, 2013.
While maintaining his role at Air America, Franken also published a sixth book, The Truth (with jokes) (2005), which focused on the 2004 Republican presidential campaign. The book debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and remained on the list for ten straight weeks.
Contents
Political Career
In 2007, Franken left Air America in order to fully pursue his political ambitions. Franken announced his run for Minnesota Senate on February 14, 2007, on the last day of his radio show. After being tapped by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party in June 2008—and receiving an endorsement from conservative speech writer and comedian, Ben Stein—Franken won the Democratic primary for the Senate seat.
On election night in 2008, reports gave Franken's Republican opponent, Norm Coleman the seat by more than 700 votes. But by the end of the night, the two candidates were separated by less than 0.5 percent, which enacted Minnesota's automatic recount law. On January 5, 2009, the Minnesota State Canvassing Board put Franken ahead by 225 votes. The next day, Coleman appealed the decision, which led to a trial. On April 13, 2009, a Minnesota court announced that Franken was the winner. Coleman appealed again, this time to the Minnesota Supreme court. But on June 30, 2009, the state supreme court rejected Coleman's appeal, declaring Franken the winner. Shortly after, Coleman conceded. Franken was formally seated in July of 2009.
Franken is married to Franni Bryson, who he met at Harvard while still an undergraduate. The couple has two children, Thomasin and Joe. The family currently resides in Minnesota.
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