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Al Franken and Tom Davis went to the same private high school in Minneapolis, and later worked in Brave New Workshop, a satirical theater group. Franken graduated from Harvard with a degree in general studies, and continued doing comedy on the side.¹

Hosted by Al Franken, it featured commentary and interviews arguing for liberal positions on the issues of the day, and comically poking fun at conservatives. The show began as The O’Franken Factor on March 31, 2004.²

Born in 1951, Franken grew up in Minnesota and performed stand-up in high school and college. In 1975, he landed a job at a fledgling comedy show called “Saturday Night Live.” Twenty years later, he left, having written some of the show’s most enduring material.³

Franken received four Emmys for his writing on SNL and a fifth for producing. He also won recognition for his on-camera work, first as half of the comedy team of “Franken and Davis”, then for his “Al Franken Decade” persona.⁴

Alan Stuart “Al” Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an Emmy Award?winning American comedian, actor, author, screenwriter, political commentator, radio host and, recently, politician. He is noted for his work on Saturday Night Live and his liberal political views.⁵

To face Coleman, Franken must first win the Democratic nomination. His chief competitor appears to be Mike Ciresi, 61, a wealthy attorney who has flirted with a number of races and who lost the 2000 Senate primary.⁶

Drake says the jokes get at a “larger truth” about Franken: he’s got an anger issue. He once literally tackled a stubborn heckler at a Howard Dean rally after the security staff failed to eject the man.⁷