Franken, Al, 1951-

<p>Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, politician, media personality, author, and actor who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He became known in the 1970s and 1980s as a staff writer and performer on the television comedy show Saturday Night Live. After decades as an entertainer, he became a prominent liberal political activist, hosting The Al Franken Show on Air America Radio.</p>

<p>Franken was 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. Franken resigned on January 2, 2018, after several allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him.</p>

<p>In September 2019, Franken announced he would be hosting The Al Franken Show Saturday mornings on SiriusXM radio. It covers topics such as global affairs, politics, the 2020 presidential election, and entertainment. In September 2021, Franken will begin a 15-city live tour, his first since semi-retiring from comedy during his time in the Senate.</p>

FRANKEN, Al, a Senator from Minnesota; born in Manhattan, N.Y., May 21, 1951; A.B., Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., 1973; screenwriter; comedian; author; radio talk show host; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 2008 for the term beginning January 3, 2009, but the election was contested; following a June 30, 2009, decision in his favor by the Minnesota state supreme court, he took the oath of office; reelected in 2014 and served from July 7, 2009, until his resignation on January 2, 2018.