Al Franken facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Al Franken
Official portrait, 2015
United States Senator from Minnesota
In office July 7, 2009 – January 2, 2018
Preceded by	Norm Coleman
Succeeded by	Tina Smith
Personal details
Born	Alan Stuart Franken (1951-05-21) May 21, 1951 (age 74) New York City, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (DFL)
Spouse	Franni Bryson ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	2
Education	Harvard University (BA)
Signature

Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American politician, comedian, actor, and writer. He served as a United States senator for Minnesota from 2009 to 2018.

Franken first became famous as a writer and performer on the TV show Saturday Night Live. He worked there for many years. After his entertainment career, he became involved in politics. He hosted a radio show called The Al Franken Show.

In 2008, Franken was elected to the United States Senate. He won by a very small number of votes. This was one of the closest elections in Senate history. People first thought he was just a comedian. But he proved to be a skilled politician. He was reelected in 2014 with more than half the votes. Franken left the Senate on January 2, 2018. In 2019, he started hosting The Al Franken Show again on SiriusXM radio. It covers news, politics, and fun topics.

Early Life & Education

Al Franken was born in New York City. His parents were Joseph and Phoebe Franken. His family moved to Albert Lea, Minnesota, when he was four. Later, they moved to St. Louis Park, Minnesota. This is a suburb of Minneapolis.

Franken graduated from The Blake School in 1969. He was on the wrestling team there. He then went to Harvard College. He studied political science and graduated in 1973. While in college, Franken enjoyed writing comedy. He looked up to comedians who used humor to talk about important issues.

Franken started performing comedy in high school. He and his friend Tom Davis were known for their funny acts. They first performed at the Brave New Workshop theater in Minneapolis. This theater focused on political satire.

Saturday Night Live Career

Al Franken and Tom Davis became original writers for Saturday Night Live (SNL). They also performed on the show. They worked on SNL from 1975 to 1980 and again from 1985 to 1995. In the first season, they earned $350 each week.

Franken received many awards for his TV writing. He won five Emmy Awards. He created popular characters like Stuart Smalley. He also had a comedy routine where he called the 1980s "The Al Franken Decade." Franken and Davis wrote a movie called One More Saturday Night. They also had small roles in other films.

Franken left SNL in 1980. He returned in 1985 as a writer and performer. He left again in 1995. This was because he did not get the job of Weekend Update anchor.

After Saturday Night Live

Franken entertaining troops at Ramstein Air Base in December 2000

In 1995, Franken wrote and starred in the movie Stuart Saves His Family. This film was based on his SNL character, Stuart Smalley.

Franken has written four books that became bestsellers. One of his books, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, won a Grammy Award in 2003. This book was a funny look at American politics. A TV news channel sued him over the book's title. But a judge said the lawsuit had "no merit." This lawsuit actually helped Franken's book sell even more copies.

In 2004, Franken started hosting a talk show on Air America Radio. The show was first called The O'Franken Factor. Later, it was renamed The Al Franken Show. He hosted the show for three hours a day, five days a week. Franken wanted to share more progressive ideas on the radio. He said his goal was to help get George W. Bush out of office. Franken's last radio show was in February 2007. After that, he announced he would run for the U.S. Senate.

Franken also helped write the movie When a Man Loves a Woman. He also created and starred in the TV show LateLine. He appeared in the 2004 movie The Manchurian Candidate.

Franken visited Iraq several times to entertain troops. In 2009, he received an award for his work with the United Service Organizations (USO).

Political Involvement

Franken with Senator Paul Simon in 1991

Al Franken had been interested in politics for a long time. In 1999, he wrote a funny book called Why Not Me?. It was about his pretend campaign for president. He was a strong supporter of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone. Wellstone was a role model for Franken. Franken was very sad when Wellstone died in a plane crash in 2002.

Franken learned that many Americans got their news from talk radio. He felt that most of these shows were conservative. He wanted to offer different viewpoints. In 2005, he moved back to Minnesota. He started his own political group called Midwest Values PAC. This group raised over $1 million.

A 2006 documentary film, Al Franken: God Spoke, was made about him. It looked at how famous people get involved in politics.

Franken playing Saddam Hussein while entertaining service members in Iraq (2005)

Franken first supported the Iraq War. But he later changed his mind. He believed that leaders had misled the country into war. He urged Congress to stop funding the war unless there was a plan to leave Iraq.

In 2004, Franken supported a universal health care system. This would mean everyone in America would have health care coverage. He also wanted every child to get health care right away. In 2014, he was against changing Social Security benefits. He supported cutting money for oil companies. He also wanted to help college students with their loans.

During his 2008 campaign, some issues came up about his past taxes. Franken paid back taxes and fines. He said he had followed his accountant's advice.

U.S. Senate Career

2008 Election

Franken campaigning for the U.S. Senate in 2008

On February 14, 2007, Al Franken officially announced he would run for the United States Senate. He sought the nomination from the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party. He won the nomination with 65% of the votes.

Franken raised more money than his opponent, Norm Coleman. In July 2008, he was even supported by Ben Stein. Stein is a well-known entertainer and writer with conservative views. Stein said Franken was a "very impressive guy."

During the campaign, Franken was criticized for helping SNL with a sketch. The sketch made fun of Senator John McCain's ads. Coleman's campaign said Franken cared more about entertainment than serving the public.

On election night, November 4, 2008, it looked like Coleman had won. But the official results showed Coleman leading by only 215 votes. This was a very close race. Minnesota law required an automatic recount. Ballots were checked by hand. On January 5, 2009, Franken was ahead by 225 votes.

Franken at an election rally with Hillary Clinton in October 2008

Coleman's campaign then filed a lawsuit. A panel of judges ruled that 351 ballots were wrongly rejected. Counting these ballots increased Franken's lead to 312 votes. Coleman appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court. On June 30, 2009, the Minnesota Supreme Court said Franken was the winner. Coleman then accepted the decision.

2014 Election

Franken was reelected for his second term in 2014. He won the primary election with 94.5% of the vote. In the general election, he won against Mike McFadden. Franken received 53.2% of the votes.

Time in the Senate

Franken meeting with Vice President Joe Biden in May 2009

Franken was sworn into the Senate on July 7, 2009. He used the Bible of the late Senator Paul Wellstone for his oath.

Franken presided over the votes to confirm two Supreme Court Justices. These were Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 and Elena Kagan in 2010. His first law was the Service Dogs for Veterans Act. This law helps disabled veterans get service dogs.

Franken during the 111th Congress

In 2009, a video of Franken talking with Tea Party protesters went viral. People noted how polite and calm the discussion was. This was different from other heated discussions happening at the time.

During the health care reform debate, Franken strongly supported a single-payer system. He wrote an amendment called the Medical Loss Ratio. This rule made insurance companies spend at least 80% of premiums on actual health care.

Franken also introduced a rule to limit how companies handle employee complaints. This rule stopped defense contracts for companies that prevented employees from taking certain cases to court. It passed the Senate in 2010.

Franken in 2017

In 2010, Franken proposed a financial reform amendment. It aimed to change how credit rating agencies were chosen. The amendment passed, but it was later changed.

In 2013, Franken received an award for his work against homelessness. People noticed that Franken did not seek out media attention. He focused on his work and helping his constituents.

Franken was good at raising money for the Democratic Party. His political group raised millions of dollars. He was able to attract crowds and donations across the country.

Franken spoke out against the violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar. He asked for a stronger response to the crisis. He also supported laws that would make it legal for U.S. states to refuse business with companies that boycott Israel. In 2017, he voted for a law that placed sanctions on Iran, Russia, and North Korea.

Resignation

Franken resigned from the Senate on January 2, 2018. He said some accusations against him were "simply not true." He also said he remembered other events "very differently." Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton appointed Tina Smith to fill his seat.

Aftermath

After leaving the Senate, Franken went through a difficult time. He said he became depressed. In 2019, a journalist reported that some accusations against Franken had mistakes. Seven former senators who asked him to resign said they regretted it. They felt he should have had a chance to explain himself.

In 2019, Franken said he was sorry if he made anyone feel uncomfortable. He said he was still trying to understand what he did wrong. He also said that not every accusation is always true. In 2022, Franken said he regretted resigning. He also said he might run for public office again.

Committee Work

In the Senate, Franken served on several important committees:

• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
• Committee on Indian Affairs
• Committee on the Judiciary

After the Senate

After his resignation, Franken took some time away from public life. In May 2019, he started The Al Franken Podcast. He also began touring with a non-comedy show. When clubs reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, he performed surprise comedy shows. In 2021, he started a solo show called The Only Former US Senator Currently on Tour Tour. In March 2023, Franken was a guest host for The Daily Show.

Personal Life

Franken met his wife, Franni Bryson, while they were at Harvard. In 2005, they moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. They have two children, a daughter and a son. They also have four grandchildren. Their daughter, Thomasin, works in education. Their son, Joseph, works in finance.

Franken identifies as a secular Jew. He has also said he believes in God. In 2021, Franken moved back to New York City.

Filmography

Electoral history

2008 Election Results

2014 Election Results

See Also

In Spanish: Al Franken para niños

• Saturday Night Live cast members
• List of Jewish members of the United States Congress