Minnesota Democrats this weekend in Rochester will presumably endorse either a college professor or a satirist for U.S. Senate.

CANDIDATE JACK NELSON-PALLMEYER

Former Saturday Night Live (SNL) writer, actor, and author Al Franken has been seen as holding an edge over endorsement challenger Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer - 6th District DFL Party Chairwoman Nancy Schumacher expects to see Franken endorsed, she said in an e-mail.

The State Democratic Convention will be held at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester June 6-8.

by T.W. Budig
ECM Capitol reporter

Minnesota Democrats this weekend in Rochester will presumably endorse either a college professor or a satirist for U.S. Senate.

Former Saturday Night Live (SNL) writer, actor, and author Al Franken has been seen as holding an edge over endorsement challenger Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer - 6th District DFL Party Chairwoman Nancy Schumacher expects to see Franken endorsed, she said in an e-mail.

But Nelson-Pallmeyer, a Coon Rapids High School graduate, talks of victory.

"The trajectory of my campaign has continued to soar," he said this week on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR).

CANDIDATE AL FRANKEN

Although indicating he didn't believe he could get a first-ballot endorsement, Nelson-Pallmeyer spoke of a multi-ballot convention.

But Franken, too, expresses certainty.

"We're confident but we're not taking anything for granted," said Franken, speaking on Wednesday (June 4).

Winner of the endorsement contest will presumably face Republican U.S. Senator Norm Coleman in November.

Franken campaign has hit some bumps

The Franken campaign has hit some bumps in recent weeks.

Franken's tax problems became an issue but more recently focused shifted to a 2000 Playboy article in which Franken writes about oral sex administered by machines and other sexual matters.

Republican women spoke out.

Sen. Betsy Wergin, R-Princeton, said she was uncomfortable even discussing the Playboy article but rejects the idea that it was merely the work of a professional satirist.

"This is his behavior and thought process," said Wergin. She found the article "just kind of sickening," she said.

Today, Thursday (June 5) two Republican women, Rep. Laura Brod, R-New Prague, and former state auditor Patricia Anderson, criticized comments Franken made during a discussion about at a SNL sketch that appeared in a 1995 article in New York magazine.

Former state auditor Patricia Anderson (at podium) today (Thursday, June 5) criticized DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken for comments that appeared in a 1995 magazine article in which Franken suggests the drugging, rape and photographing of an unconscious television news personality as gist for a skit. (Photo by T.W. Budig, ECM Capitol Reporter)

According to the article, Franken threw out the idea of drugging, raping, and photographing an unconscious television news personality as a skit possibility.

"Rape is not a punch line," said Brod.

Anderson, too, found the depiction offensive. "This is unacceptable to me as a mother," she said.

Asked whether a statue of limitations existed on such comments, Anderson indicated there wasn't one. "I don't think there's any statute of limitations on your character," she said.

Nelson-Pallmeyer in past weeks has refused to comment on Franken or his campaign.

Life histories off-base

But when pressed whether the Playboy article was a legitimate point of discussion, he indicated that it was. "I think there's probably in no instance in which our life histories are off-base for public discussion," said Nelson-Pallmeyer on MPR.

Franken indicated on Wednesday that people could "legitimately" take offense at some of things that he's written.

"There are some things I've written that obviously are going to offend people," he said.

"(That's) either because their sensibilities are different or because I was writing from an artistic point of view that isn't their sensibility," he said. "But the point is, what's my whole body of work," he said.

"I would say there's a body of work - there's some stuff I'm extremely proud of, and there's some stuff that's not as great as the other stuff," said Franken.

"That happens when you write," he said.

"You know what I don't like saying -