Al Franken

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) celebrates in front of his home June 30, 2009 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Republican incumbent Norm Coleman conceded the election today following the Minnesota Supreme Court's ruling that Franken is the winner of the state's Senate race, after the results were contested for nearly eight months. (Getty Images) more pics » MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of a tight U.S. Senate race over Republican Norm Coleman , which should give Democrats the 60-seat majority they need to overcome procedural obstacles and push through their agenda. Norm Coleman (Getty Images) Coleman ... Read Full Story

Al Franken, the junoir member of the Minnesota delegaton to the U.S. Senate. After an eight-month-long legal battle, Al Franken has been delcared the winner of the Minnesota Senate race, defeating Norm Coleman . This will give the Democrats the 60-seat majority in the Senate needed to overcome many procedural obstacles to their agenda. From an article at Reuters: The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of a tight U.S. Senate race over Republican Norm Coleman, which should give Democrats the 60-seat majority they need to overcome procedural obstacles and push through their agenda. Coleman has said in published ... Read Full Story

In making the case for his federal same-day voter registration bill , U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison points to how much voter fraud was alleged in the “highly scrutinized” Norm Coleman-Al Franken U.S. Senate contest due to Minnesotans’ ability to register to vote on Election Day: none . That statistic is part of an op-ed by Ellison and the chief sponsor of a companion bill, Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, at the Huffington Post. Another statistic they offer: The top five states for 2008 voter turnout — including Minnesota and Wisconsin — all have same-day registration. Ellison and Feingold urge the District of Columbia’s city ... Read Full Story

Photo: Chris Steller, MnIndy U.S. Sen. Al Franken introduced legislation Thursday that would encourage states to examine untested rape kits for DNA evidence. The bill would also provide for more health workers trained to administer rape-kit exams, particularly for Native American women. Another aspect of the bill is that women couldn’t be made to pay for all or part of their rape kit exams — an issue that came up in the 2008 presidential campaign . “We don’t bill criminals for fingerprint processing,” Franken said in a statement. The Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act is co-sponsored by Republicans Orrin Hatch of Utah ... Read Full Story

Democrat Al Franken has arrived in Washington offering no jokes — just a promise that he is "ready to get to work." The former Saturday Night Live performer and satirist made brief remarks after meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday. Franken is expected to be sworn in to the Senate on Tuesday after a protracted, eight-month recount, then finally a concession by the Republican incumbent he beat, Norm Coleman. Franken spoke slowly from a podium in a Senate corridor packed with press. As cameras clicked rapidly in the background, Franken said he wants to be known as Minnesota's second senator, not ... Read Full Story