Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken today (Monday, Nov. 3) snugged up against a long table and began making calls. During a stop at his campaign office in St. Paul Franken joined a phone bank in the back, his deeper voice barely cutting into the purposeful chatter emanating from the long, crowded tables.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken today (Monday, Nov. 3) made a stop at his campaign headquarters in St. Paul — Franken has a series of campaign stops today including a Duluth rally with Sen. Hillary Clinton. At the headquarters, Franken grabbed a phone and a made a series of calls to voters from the campaign phone bank. At one point, Franken laughingly told nearby callers, including his wife Franni, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, that one caller had diagnosed his call a robo-call.

(Photo by T.W. Budig, ECM Capitol Reporter)

by T.W. Budig
ECM Capitol reporter

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken today (Monday, Nov. 3) snugged up against a long table and began making calls.

During a stop at his campaign office in St. Paul Franken joined a phone bank in the back, his deeper voice barely cutting into the purposeful chatter emanating from the long, crowded tables.

Next to Franken sat his wife, Franni, working the phones, while St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman sat across the table from the candidate also making calls.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar arrived shortly after Franken, the Democrat picking up  a phone at the end of the table.

"I got one live one (caller),” said Franken, pausing from his duties.

Thought he was robo-caller

Franken would indicate that he had placed the call by checking a sheetful of phone numbers before him in red ink. "They thought I was a robo-caller,” he said with laugh. "Well, there's a reason for that,” Franken later quipped, recounting how the caller said that he sounded just like Al Franken.

In his calls Franken asked for support — support for Sen. Barack Obama and congressional candidates —  telling voters where their polling places were and giving a number to call for help.

Franken has a busy day.

It began with a stop in Rochester, hitting the phone bank in St. Paul, a get-out-the-vote rally with Sen. Hillary Clinton in Duluth late afternoon with a late evening event in St. Paul.

Franken took a few questions before boarding the blue campaign bus and departing for Duluth.

"We need change,” he said, asked to give a 30-second summation of his campaign.

Bush years hard on middle class

Franken repeated one of his basic themes — that the last eight years under President George Bush has been hard on the middle class.

Sen. Barack Obama, Klobuchar and he are going to cut taxes for the middle class, he said. "And that's what we're going to do,” said Franken.

Asked what he would tell voters planning to vote for Obama and Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, Franken said Obama needs help in the U.S. Senate.

In talking to voters, Franken said, "I think Sen. Obama is going to make change and he's going to need a working majority in the Senate,” said Franken.

Currently Democrats have a 51-49 advantage in the U.S. Senate.

Franken said he could shake hands with Coleman when the campaign is over.

"Oh you bet,” he said.

Indeed, if elected, he would like to talk to Coleman about constituent services as part of his transition into office, Franken explained.

(Photos by T.W. Budig, ECM Capitol Reporter)