Alan Stuart "Al" Franken (born May 21, 1951) is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party. Franken first became famous as a writer and performer for the television show Saturday Night Live (SNL) since its inception in 1975 before moving on to writing and acting in several films. He then became a political commentator, author of several best-selling books, and host of a nationally syndicated radio show on Air America Radio. Franken ran for U.S. Senator in 2008 and narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Norm Coleman after a mandatory statewide manual recount. Coleman contested the outcome in court, but the Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously upheld Franken's victory on June 30, 2009. Franken was sworn in to the Senate on July 7, 2009.

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