In November 1998, former pro wrestler Jesse Ventura "shocked the world" by being elected Minnesota's governor.
If a WWFer can be sent to St. Paul, can a comedian represent us in Washington? That's the question Al Franken -- the former "Saturday Night Live" regular and soon-to-be-ex-Air America radio personality -- plans to pose to Minnesota voters with his just-announced quest to unseat Sen. Norm Coleman in the 2008 election.
Franken, like Coleman, was born in New York City, but grew up in St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis. He made his presence felt during the last election cycle, helping to raise money for some DFL candidates. Now, he'll see how he fares with raising dollars for his own candidacy.
Of course, Franken's name recognition will probably help him to some extent, as well as his decision to announce his intentions this early. However, there's no guarantee he'll win his party's nomination, much less defeat an incumbent (even a nationally targeted one) like Coleman.
Al Franken may be a funny man to many and -- as fans of his SNL character Stuart Smalley might attest -- he's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it, people like him. But Franken also may too polarizing a figure for moderate Democrats and Republicans alike. After all, Franken hasn't exactly built himself a reputation as a centrist, thanks to such books as "Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them -- A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right" and "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot."
ADVERTISEMENT
Franken could well be the most humorous candidate to run for U.S. Senate in Minnesota next year. He'll have to work hard to prove he's the best.
