Al Franken
Bio | Al Franken is a former U.S. Senator. He is an American politician, comedian, and author. |
Status and Position | Former US Senator of Minnesota |
Political Party and Jurisdiction | Democrat, Minnesota |
Elections | Election Jurisdiction | Started Campaign | Campaign Status | Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| none |
Campaign Financing | In the 2014 cycle, Franken raised just over $31 million for Senate. He voted for a resolution in the Senate that would allow for a constitutional amendment to place limitations on corporate or total spending in elections. |
Voting Rights | Though Franken's 2008 election was marred by accusations of voter fraud for his razor-thin margin of victory, he has not stated many positions on voting access. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues | Stance | Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | For | While in the Senate, Franken was an advocate of single-payer healthcare. During the Obamacare debate, Franken supported a public option and ensuring that private insurers spent the premiums on actual healthcare costs. |
| Socialized Healthcare | For | Franken supported socialized healthcare in the Senate, voting to expand the ACA's government funding. |
| Private Healthcare | Nuance | Franken has not advocated for the abolition of private insurance, though he has criticized it over its high charges. |
| LGBT Rights | For | Franken supports LGBT+ rights. In a 2014 statement during his Senate campaign, Franken claimed "Al was proud to join in the fight to defeat the 2012 anti-gay marriage amendment in Minnesota, and he couldn't have been prouder when Minnesota became the 13th state to enact marriage equality." He also sponsored the Student Nondiscrimination Act which would have protected LGBT+ students in K-12 schools. |
| Taxes | Nuance | Franken has voted against some tax cuts but for others while in the Senate. He voted against the "Tax Hike Prevention Act" which would have extended Bush-era tax cuts, and the Trump tax cuts, but also for the "Middle Class Tax Cut Act" of 2012. |
| Flat Tax Rate | Against | Franken voted for a bill which would have established a minimum 30% tax rate for high-income taxpayers. He voted against the "Tax Hike Prevention Act" which would have extended Bush-era tax cuts, and the Trump tax cuts, but also for the "Middle Class Tax Cut Act" of 2012. |
| Abortion | For | Franken is pro-choice. He was endorsed by a pro-choice organization (NARAL Pro-Choice America) and voted against a 2015 Senate bill to restrict abortion. |
| Gun Control | For | Franken supports stricter gun control measures. He voted for measures to prohibit the sale of assault weapons and limit ammunition capacity. |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | He does not have a public position yet on assisted suicide. He voted for measures to prohibit the sale of assault weapons and limit ammunition capacity. |
| Government Interference | For | Franken has voted for measures that would increase the government's role in healthcare, economy, etc. |
| Planned Parenthood | For | Franken has supported funding for Planned Parenthood and voted against measures to strip said funding. |
| Welfare | For | Franken has supported extending and expanding welfare measures. He voted for maintaining unemployment compensation and against limiting who could receive SNAP benefits, among others. |
| Welfare | Unknown | He has not made a public position on this issue. |
| Death Penalty | Unknown | He has not made a public stance on this issue. N/A |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Unknown | He has not made a public position clear on this issue yet. |
| Military Spending | Nuance | He has voted for the increases in the national budget and continuing the appropriations given to the military. |
| War on Terrorism | For | Franken has voted to continue the authorizations for war in Iraq and Afghanistan. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | For | Has voted for bills and foreign interaction while in the Senate. Voted for bills which would more closely tie the US to the UN and against sanctions. |
| United Nations power | For | Franken has voted for bills that would give the UN greater authority in international relations. |
| Nationalism | Against | Called on Trump to condemn white nationalism in the wake of shootings in El Paso and Dayton. |
| Free Markets | Nuance | Franken has voted for some measures to loosen market restrictions and others to control them. He voted against sanctions on international trade, but supports also tighter government restrictions in some areas. |
| Brexit | Unknown | Does not have a clear stance on Brexit. |
| Affirmative Action | Unknown | Franken has been described has "pro-affirmative-action" but does not have a public statement on the issue. |
| Government Spending | For | Has voted for the proposed budgets while in the Senate and for bills that would increase government spending. |
| Charter Schools | Unknown | Franken was opposed to Betsy DeVos as education secretary (a proponent of private & charter schools), but his position on charter schools themselves is unknown. |
| Common Core | Unknown | He does not have a public position on the Common Core. N/A |
| Clean Energy | For | He has supported clean energy policies while in the Senate. His campaign promoted clean and renewable energy development, though he also voted against a modernization of energy policy. |
| Religious Freedom | Unknown | He does not have a public position on the issue yet. N/A |
| Separation of Church and State | For | Franken supports the continuing practice of separation of church and state. |
| Slavery Reparations | Unknown | He does not have a public position yet on this issue. |
| Border Control | Against | Franken largely voted against expanding border control measures. He voted against completion of the US-Mexico border fencing and deployment of the national guard there. |
| Passenger Profiling | Unknown | He does not have a public stance on this issue. |
| DACA | For | Franken has spoken in favor of DACA and against the Trump administration's attempt to end it. |
| Sanctuary Cities | For | Franken voted against a measure which would have stripped protections from sanctuary cities. |
| Legalizing Marijuana | For | Franken supported marijuana legalization measures while in the Senate such as expanding state measures and treating sellers as other small businesses. |