Alan Stuart "Al" Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American entertainer turned political pundit and politician, and is the United States Senator-elect from the the State of Minnesota. In 2008 Franken ran as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate for U.S. Senate. He was declared the winner of that contested race, but the outcome was appealed by his opponent, Norm Coleman. On June 30, 2009, the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld Franken's victory and declared that he was entitled to be certified as the election winner. Coleman thereupon conceded the election to Franken. Franken has worked as a comedian, writer and liberal political commentator. He first became famous as a writer and a performer for the television show Saturday Night Live (SNL), then moved on to writing and acting in several films. He then became a political commentator, writer of several best-selling books, and host of a nationally syndicated radio show on Air America Radio.
he Vice President met with Al Franken this afternoon, and released this statement afterwards:
"The election process and recount in Minnesota have lived up to the state's reputation for organization, transparency, and bipartisanship. The officials have been meticulous and every ruling has been unanimous.
"While Senator Amy Klobuchar is one of the hardest working members of the United States Senate, Minnesotans deserve their full representation.
"Once the Minnesota Supreme Court has issued its final ruling in this case, the President and I look forward to working with Mr. Franken on building an economy for the 21st century."
