Al Franken to Run for Senate

Al Franken has left his show on Air America and is running for Senator of Minnesota.

According to Forbes, a senior Democratic official (who wished to remain nameless, because Franken hasn't officially announced yet himself) said Wednesday that Al Franken told him that he wants to run for Senator in Minnesota in 2008.

Franken, who earned over one million in his political action committee (implying, according to Forbes, that he should have no problems making money), would be attempting to boot Republican first term senator Norm Coleman.

The Associated Press reports that Al Franken has hinted that he will announce his candidacy on one of his last shows on Air America. His last show is February 14th (valentines day).

Some history of future Senator Al Franken:

Alan Stuart "Al" Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an Emmy Award–winning American comedian, actor, author, screenwriter, political commentator, and radio host. He is noted for his work on Saturday Night Live and liberal socio-political views.

Franken was born in New York City into a Jewish family, and grew up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, in suburban Minneapolis. He attended Saint Louis Park High School until the 10th grade. He graduated in 1969 from The Blake School, where he was on the wrestling team. He attended Harvard University and graduated cum laude in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in government.

Franken met his wife, Franni, in his first year at college at a Harvard-Simmons mixer, and they have been together ever since. They have a daughter, Thomasin, and a son, Joe (both attended New York City's prestigious Dalton School). Joe attends Princeton University and Thomasin is a public school teacher in New York City, with a degree in sociology from Harvard University. The Frankens reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Al Franken Quotes:

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me."

"I do personal attacks only on people who specialize in personal attacks."

"It's easier to put on slippers than to carpet the whole world."

"Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from."

"Newt Gingrich is the most unpopular politician in America. His favorable rating is only four points higher than the Unabomber."

"There's no liberal echo chamber in this country. There's a right-wing echo chamber. I want to create a countervailing echo chamber."

"To make the argument that the media has a left- or right-wing, or a liberal or a conservative bias, is like asking if the problem with Al-Qaeda is do they use too much oil in their hummus."

"When the president during the campaign said he was against nation building, I didn't realize he meant our nation."

"When you encounter seemingly good advice that contradicts other seemingly good advice, ignore them both."

"You need an experienced radio veteran who is a liberal advocate. And there just hadn't been any radio that did that. And so they weren't trained - they had developed all these bad habits of being objective and balanced and stuff like that."

"[G. W. Bush's] pro-air pollution Clear Skies Initiative is designed to clear the skies of birds."

"The irony upon irony of this lawsuit was great. First, Fox having the trademark 'fair and balanced' -- a network which is anything but fair and balanced. Then there's the irony of a news organization trying to suppress free speech."

Franken for Senate, 2008.