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NEWS ABOUT: Al Franken

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Coleman Sues Franken in Minn. Senate Race

GOP incumbent says comedian rival's ads are defamatory, false

(Newser) - Minnesota's tight Senate race has turned litigious. Incumbent Norm Coleman sued opponent Al Franken today for character defamation, the Hill reports. Coleman’s campaign says ads claiming he is the “fourth most corrupt senator in Washington” are false and violate Minnesota campaign law. “Our ads are factual and... More »

Senate Contests Ringing Up Record Ad Tabs

Some races tipping $30M mark, inundating voters with 'cacophony'

(Newser) - Senate races in 11 hotly contested states are drawing record sums in spending on TV advertising, the Washington Post reports. Both parties stick to repeated attacks: Democrats and their backers tie Republicans to Bush and aid for big corporations, while GOP supporters say Democrats will tax and spend freely. “... More »

Franken Takes Serious Lead in Senate Race

Former SNL comic persuades Minnesotans his candidacy is no joke

(Newser) - Al Franken is playing it straight on the Minnesota campaign trail and, doggone it, voters are liking it, the Washington Post reports. The comedian-turned-Democratic candidate, who now spends more time discussing ethanol policy than cracking jokes, has opened up a 6-point lead over his rival in the Senate race. Minnesota... More »

Franken Hatched Mac-Mocking SNL Skit

Candidate-comedian's role triggers ethics, political controversy

(Newser) - Former Saturday Night Live scribe and current Minnesota Democratic Senate hopeful Al Franken hatched the idea for last night’s sketch mocking John McCain—raising tough political questions for the program and NBC, Politico reports. Critics raised concerns about the propriety of a politician playing a role in an attack... More »

Franken Wins Minn. Primary

Funnyman sees off challenger who turned his own jokes against him

(Newser) - Al Franken won Minnesota's Democratic Senate primary last night, the Hill reports. The former funnyman had almost 70% of the vote with two-thirds of precincts reporting. The state party-endorsed Franken saw off a late challenge from attorney Priscilla Lord Faris, who used some of Franken's crude jokes of the past... More »

Ventura Won't Jump Into Senate Ring

Cites media scrutiny for staying out of race

(Newser) - Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura wrestled with the idea of running for the US Senate as an independent candidate, but has decided he won't join the race against Republican pro-war incumbent Norm Coleman and satirist Al Franken. His uncomfortable experience facing intense media scrutiny as governor and concerns about his... More »

The Real Joke May Be on Minn. Voters

If they don't learn to laugh, they'll reelect the inoffensive hack

(Newser) - Voters always say they’d rather support “real people” than “professional politicians.” But Al Franken is having trouble in Minnesota precisely because he hasn’t spent his life reading a political script, Michael Kinsley writes in the Washington Post. Instead, he told jokes for a living—jokes... More »

Hollywood Women Work on Senate Majority

Deep-pocketed stars are raising money for Dem candidates

(Newser) - Powerful Hollywood women are reorganizing after Hillary Clinton's failed presidential bid, turning their attention toward increasing the Democratic majority in the Senate. A fundraiser Sept. 27 could raise more than $1 million for candidates, and is being put together by the likes of Jane Fonda, Kate Capshaw, Penny Marshall, Daryl... More »

Is Franken Too Vulgar for Politics?

Pundit thinks funnyman-turned-politician's 'satire' reinforces system's failures

(Newser) - Al Franken was cracking tasteless jokes for decades before entering politics, but it may be his opponent in the Minnesota Senate race who'll be accused of coarsening debate if he dares to brings them up, Michael Gerson writes in the Washington Post. Franken calls his work "provocative, touching, and... More »

Senate Seats Most Likely to Flip (Only 1 to GOP)

New Dems from VA, NM, CO likely

(Newser) - The GOP's best case-scenario sees the party losing only three Senate seats this fall. Washington Post blogger Chris Cillizza runs down the races most likely to flip a vote:
  1. Mississippi: Trent Lott replacement Roger Wicker has never been elected statewide, and Barack Obama's coattails should draw in the large black
... More »

Sex Robots Haunt Franken's Senate Bid

Comedian's past continues to plague Dem run in Minnesota

(Newser) - It’s not easy being a comedian-turned-Senate candidate. Al Franken’s bid to replace first-term Minnesota Republican Norm Coleman has hit some speed bumps lately, Bloomberg reports. Though Franken has nabbed the party’s endorsement, he’s been dogged by bits from his past—like a 2000 Playboy article entitled... More »

Al Franken to Cough Up $70K in Back Taxes

Tax issue rattles comedian's Senate campaign

(Newser) - Funnyman-turned-Democratic candidate Al Franken has announced he'll pay up $70,000 in back taxes to 17 states, AP reports. Franken blamed the backlog on bad advice from his accountant. Most of the income at issue was from speeches and other appearances dating back to 2003. The tax issue has sidetracked... More »

10 Senate Seats Likely to Flip

Blogger runs down races to watch

(Newser) - The presidency isn’t the only job up for grabs this November. The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza runs down (in order) the Senate seats most likely to flip parties:
  1. Ex-Virginia governor Mark Warner (D) is mounting a “sure-thing bid.”
  2. The survivor of the New Mexico GOP primary
... More »

No (Funny) Bones About Franken's Run

Comedian says bid for Senate in Minn. is serious business

(Newser) - 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... More »

Doggone It, Will People Like Sen. Franken?

New York explores his blend of comedy, politics in Senate bid

(Newser) - Al Franken’s thus far successful run for US Senate has seen the comic playing a careful hand, getting serious on the trail but bringing along just enough humor to be himself. Politicians “need to be entertaining. But not too entertaining,” says New York’s Ariel Levy in... More »

Gurus Rack Up Ratings With Love and Hate

Who is America's most-watched pundit? Not the politico that most might think

(Newser) - Pundits—political and cultural commentators with big opinions—are today's media darlings and Nielsen lightning rods.  Forbes picks the loudest, most volatile and incendiary, i.e.: the ones we love to watch:
  1. Roger Ebert
  2. Bill Maher
  3. Bill O'Reilly
More »

In Minn. Senate Race, Joke May Be on the GOP

Cracking up audiences, Franken mounts serious challenge to Coleman

(Newser) - The Minnesota GOP, facing an unexpectedly strong challenge from would-be Democratic nominee Al Franken, is turning some of his humor around on him. Immediately after the actor-author announced his US Senate candidacy, the GOP released a list of what it called “mean-spirited and divisive partisan” wisecracks, the Journal reports,... More »

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