About Senator Al Franken

As far as I know, I’m the only U.S. Senator who was also one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live, where I worked for fifteen seasons. I’ve won five Emmys for writing and producing – even though Wikipedia says I won three. Wikipedia is wrong. I’m also the author of four #1 New York Times bestsellers, including Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them – A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, and Al Franken, Giant of the Senate. I also won two Grammys, which Wikipedia also doesn’t mention. But that’s okay.

I served Minnesota in the Senate from 2009-2018, clobbering my first opponent Norm Coleman by a margin of 312 votes. My second time around I won by a larger margin that’s not worth mentioning. I served on the Judiciary, Energy, Indian Affairs, and HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committees where I routinely embarrassed badly prepared witnesses and was a fierce opponent of media concentration, mandatory arbitration, and Betsy DeVos.

I wrote a key provision of the Affordable Care Act – the Medical Loss Ratio, which requires insurance companies to spend at least 80% (85% for large group plans) of premiums on actual health care and not profits, administrative costs, executive salaries, and marketing. If they don’t, they must rebate the difference to policyholders. Millions of Americans, very likely including you, have received billions in rebates. You’re welcome.

At the moment, I am the host of The Al Franken Podcast. My political action committee, Midwest Values PAC, supports Democrats and a host of other good, non-political things.

Franni and I have been married for 48 years, many of them happy. Our two kids, Thomasin and Joe, have each produced two grandchildren. All four are spectacular!