The Candidates in Limbo
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This article has been updated to reflect races that have been decided since the issue's press deadline.
Senate
Minnesota
Al Franken (D)
Age: 57
Occupation: Comedian, author
Home: Minneapolis
Former “Saturday Night Live” funnyman Al Franken may be heading to Washington.
The Democratic candidate hopes to have the last laugh in the Minnesota Senatorial campaign, edging out incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman. The fierce three-way race has been unpredictable with former Sen. Dean Barkley (I) garnering plenty of attention from voters who weren’t impressed with either Franken or Coleman.
Barkley was briefly appointed to take over former Sen. Paul Wellstone’s (D) seat after he was killed in a plane crash in 2002.
Despite a past littered with satirical rants, a letter to Playboy magazine, nearly two decades working for a show that lampooned presidential politics, and little experience, Franken is in a battle with two former Senators. The Playboy letter in particular was not well-received, prompting some female Democratic politicians to withhold an endorsement.
Franken consistently tied Coleman, a moderate, to President Bush during his campaign, producing ads that focused on the two campaigning together and Coleman’s votes with Bush.
Franken tried to paint himself as the heir to Wellstone. Despite his talent for humor, much of his campaign literature and ads struck a serious note instead of the funny bone.
Coleman peppered his campaign with ads designed to question Franken’s character. One campaign ad highlighted fiery statements by Franken filled with expletives that questioned whether he possessed the right temperament for a politician.
Franken easily won the Democratic convention this spring after the first ballot. Both candidates raised and spent millions of dollars for the campaign.
Franken has expressed interest in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Veterans’ Affairs; Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; and the Indian Affairs committees.
Franken is best known for his tenure on “Saturday Night Live,” serving as a regular writer and occasional performer on the comedy show. His recurring character self-help personality Stuart Smalley was featured in a theatrical release. During appearances on the Weekend Update segment of the show, he often joked about being a political candidate, announcing on occasion, “Vote for me, Al Franken. You’ll be glad you did!” Before he joined the show, he graduated from Harvard University.
Recently, he has hosted a radio show and was featured in a number of USO shows in Iraq. His last radio show featured his Senate candidacy announcement.
Franken is married and has two children.
House
California
Charlie Brown (D)
4th district
Age: 58
Occupation: Air Force pilot, police
department staff
Home: Roseville
Brown is hoping his loss two years ago was just a warm-up. In his first race for elected office, the Air Force veteran held Rep. John Doolittle to 49 percent of the vote in this conservative northeastern California district.
The result of this year’s race — to replace the retiring Doolittle in California’s 8th district — remains uncertain at press time as votes continued to be tallied.
Doolittle’s ethics problems stemming from his relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff became even more problematic since the 2006 election. In January 2008, as Brown mounted a second challenge, Doolittle announced he would retire.
In the June primary, Brown was unopposed; a crowded Republican primary produced state Sen. Tom McClintock as his opponent. McClintock, a veteran of California’s House and Senate, made his name in statewide races for controller and governor, and for his expertise in fiscal policy.
During the general election, McClintock tied Brown to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and questioned his lack of legislative experience. Brown struck a populist note and said McClintock was part of the problems of the past.
Brown, a 1972 graduate of the Air Force Academy, served as a pilot in Thailand during the Vietnam War. He retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel in 1998. Since then, he has served as chair of the supervisory board of the Sierra Central Credit Union and as a staff member at the Roseville Police Department and a trustee at the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Cardin: U.S. Needs to Keep Pace Developing Energy Technology
Feb. 8, 12 a.m.
Today, too many Americans are out of work. Today, we will send $1 billion overseas to satisfy our appetite for foreign oil, while the Chinese will continue their massive investment in clean energy technology. Today, our nation faces an economic crisis, an energy crisis and a global climate crisis. Read Full Article
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