Al Franken, who has long hinted at a run for the Senate, raised $268,000 for his political action committee last year, a move that even Franken says opens the doors for a 2008 Senate run. But in a moderate state that quickly regretted election of Jesse Ventura, the odds may be against the liberal comedian, Roll Call reports.
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“I think that’s a fair inference to draw,” said the Minnesota native who recently moved his family, and his radio show, from New York City to the Gopher State in advance of a possible Senate race. “Obviously if I’m going to run in 2008 I will have to have done certain kinds of things but if I don’t, I might as well do something good. This is really about getting people ... a progressive infrastructure built.”
Midwest Values, which Franken created in late October 2005, has so far given money to three Democratic Congressional candidates in Minnesota, and to Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ex-Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Texas), who is challenging Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), and Francine Busby, the Democratic candidate in the special election to replace disgraced ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.).
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The PAC will also donate money to Wellstone Action, the Minnesota-based training program for Democratic activists formed by the surviving children of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), and will help out candidates for state and local offices in the Gopher State, Franken said.
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“In the last two years, he has been very active doing fundraisers, get-out-the-vote efforts, reaching out to Democrats,” the source added. “He’s a very interesting potential candidate.”
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