No (Funny) Bones About Franken's Run

Comedian says bid for Senate in Minn. is serious business
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 5, 2007 5:56 PM CST
No (Funny) Bones About Franken's Run
U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken laughs with a supporter at a picnic in Edina, Minn., Saturday, July 21, 2007. Even as his celebrity draws crowds and attention, Franken must convince Democratic activists in every corner of Minnesota that he's more than just a funnyman _ that he also has the substance...   (Associated Press)

Comedian Al Franken's campaign for a Minnesota Senate seat is unconventional, the New York Times reports—and it's serious. Best known for his stint on Saturday Night Live and stingingly partisan attacks on the right, Franken is busy proving he can look senatorial. “Minnesotans know what’s a joke and what isn’t,” an unworried Franken said. Others aren’t so sure.

Franken as the Democratic candidate has some Republicans licking their chops. “To think of him as a United States senator almost boggles anyone’s imagination,” said Minnesota’s top Republican. But Franken's poll numbers are good—particularly against first-term Senator Norm Coleman, viewed by Democrats as prime for unseating—and he's the top fund-raiser in either party, with $1.89 million in the third quarter. (More Senate race stories.)

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