Al Franken

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Franken Is 'Likely to Win' Recount: Expert

Badly filled-out ballots could spell victory in Minnesota Senate race

(Newser) - Bumbling Democratic voters in Minnesota are likely to hand Al Franken a win, a political scientist tells the Huffington Post. The professor estimates that as many as 10,000 voters voided their ballots by circling a name or marking an X instead of filling in a circle. But Minnesota considers...

Mr. Franken Goes to Washington
Mr. Franken Goes to Washington

Mr. Franken Goes to Washington

Candidate to discuss recount, bone up on bills, raise funds

(Newser) - Al Franken is heading to Washington while his senate race with incumbent Norm Coleman goes into recount, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. In DC, Franken will meet with Democratic leaders to discuss the recount process, and to bone up on impending legislation. Said Franken’s spokeswoman, “If he should...

Franken Sues for Records of Rejected Voters

Coleman leads Minn. race by 206 votes, calls suit 'shameless'

(Newser) - Senate hopeful Al Franken is suing Minnesota counties to get the names and addresses of locals whose absentee ballots were rejected, the Star Tribune reports. Franken’s team is sweeping the state for such information in an effort to cut GOP Sen. Norm Coleman’s current 206-vote lead. A full...

Franken Thiiis Close, Down 204 in Minn. Vote Count

Unofficial tally has Senate race just about neck and neck

(Newser) - Al Franken’s razor-thin margin of defeat in Minnesota’s Senate race is even thinner today, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The latest count has Franken trailing incumbent Norm Coleman by 204 votes, down from 221 over the weekend. Coleman appeared to have won by 725 votes last Wednesday, but...

Minn. Battle Has Nothing on '74-75 Marathon

Dem Durkin finally won NH Senate seat after revote 10 months later

(Newser) - The vitriolic standoff between Al Franken and Norm Coleman in the Minnesota Senate race—headed for a recount, then likely the courts and possibly the Senate—could take many months to resolve, judging from a precedent in New Hampshire 34 years ago, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. That fight, after...

Coleman Beats Franken by 762 Votes

Dem demands a recount in Minnesota's squeaker Senate race

(Newser) - Norm Coleman has defeated Al Franken in one of Minnesota's tightest Senate elections ever, declares the AP. The GOP incumbent led by 762 votes out of nearly 2.9 million cast. Coleman had 42.03%, Franken 42%, and third-party candidate Dean Barley 15%. But the former comedian has not conceded...

Franken Race Too Close to Call
 Franken Race Too Close to Call 

Franken Race Too Close to Call

Recount looms as Minnesota Senate contest goes down to the wire

(Newser) - Minnesotans may have to wait days to learn the winner of their state's close-fought Senate race, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken are locked in a dead heat, and the winning margin will almost certainly be slender enough to trigger an automatic...

Hagan Defeats Dole; Dems Flip 5 Seats So Far
Hagan Defeats Dole;
Dems Flip 5 Seats So Far
senate results

Hagan Defeats Dole; Dems Flip 5 Seats So Far

(Newser) - Kay Hagan defeated Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina and at least four other Democrats captured Republican seats in the Senate as the party inched toward a filibuster-proof goal of 60 seats, ABC News reports. It's going down to the wire. Democrats now have 56 seats, and four races remain undecided,...

Your Hour-by-Hour Guide to Election Night

What to watch for as the clock ticks on

(Newser) - Tonight’s election promises to end before bedtime, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be drama. Nate Silver breaks down which polls close when, and what to watch for.
  • 6pm: Indiana and Kentucky: Usually these get called red right away, but this year Indiana is a toss-up.
  • 7pm:
...

Ugly Debate Wraps Up Minn. Senate Race

Coleman, Franken trade insults in front of catcalling audience

(Newser) - Minnesota's Senate race is going down to the wire, and a debate last night in St. Paul between Norm Coleman and Al Franken descended into angry, personal attacks. As the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports, Franken laid into the GOP incumbent for taking money from a "political sugar daddy," ...

10 Senate Races to Watch
 10 Senate Races to Watch 
OPINION

10 Senate Races to Watch

Dems could pick up 8 seats; GOP could oust Landrieu in La.

(Newser) - With 35 Senate seats up for grabs Tuesday, Chris Cillizza, in the Washington Post, predicts Democrats will flip eight. Two more are close calls for the Dems, while the GOP has one hope for a pickup. Starting with the most likely:
  1. Virginia is in the bag for Mark Warner; he
...

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...

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. “...

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...

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...

Franken Wins Minn. Primary
 Franken Wins Minn. Primary 

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...

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...

The Real Joke May Be on Minn. Voters
The Real Joke
May Be on
Minn. Voters
Opinion

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...

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...

Is Franken Too Vulgar for Politics?
 Is Franken 
 Too Vulgar 
 for Politics? 
OPINION

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...

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