| Al Franken | |
| |
| United States Senator from Minnesota | |
| In office: July 7, 2009 - January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by: | Norm Coleman |
| Succeeded by: | Tina Smith |
| Senate Majority Whip | |
| In office: January 3, 2015 - January 2, 2018 | |
| Leader: | Dick Durbin |
| Preceded by: | Dick Durbin |
| Succeeded by: | Karen Bass |
| Biography | |
| Born: | May 21, 1951 (age 70) New York City, U.S. |
| Political party: | Democrat |
| Spouse: | Franni Bryson (m. 1975) |
| Children: | 2 |
| Alma mater: | Harvard University (BA) |
| Occupation: | Comedian; Activist; Politician |
Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He became well known in the 1970s and 1980s as a staff writer and performer on the television comedy show Saturday Night Live. After decades as a comedic actor and writer, he became a prominent liberal political activist, hosting The Al Franken Show on Air America Radio.
Franken was first 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%). He won reelection in 2014 with 53.2% of the vote over Republican challenger Mike McFadden. He was appointed to serve as the Democratic Whip in 2015 upon Dick Durbin's rise to Democratic Leader.
In 2018, multiple allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him. Franken announced that he would retire at the end of his term, despite calls from some of his colleagues and Senate Republicans to resign.
In 2021, Franken announced he would be hosting The Al Franken Show Saturday mornings on SiriusXM radio. It covers topics such as global affairs, politics, the 2021 and 2022 midterms, and entertainment.