Al Franken has positioned himself for re-election with the same low-profile approach he has used throughout his six years in the Senate.
The first term Democratic senator from Minnesota leads his opponent, the businessman Mike McFadden, by an average of 10 points in the polls, according to the RealClearPolitics average, and is considered the overwhelming favorite by most political forecasters to win the race.
That’s a significant turnaround from his election six years ago.
The former comedian became the 60th Democrat only after defeating incumbent Republican Norm Coleman in an extremely close race during a wave election for Democrats. That race was only settled after a recount that found Franken 312 votes ahead and an eight-month legal battle.
This year, however, Franken has maintained a significant edge with a low-profile campaign. He’s hit his opponent as unresponsive to the needs of the middle class and women, but mostly he’s allowed McFadden to take the offensive.
McFadden tried relentlessly in their first debate to tie Franken to President Obama, mentioning repeatedly that Franken has voted with Obama 97 percent of the time.
Franken mostly absorbed the blows, but McFadden later felt encouraged enough by the debate to pay to re-air it in its entirety.
Nevertheless, Franken has outraised McFadden $29 million to $4 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. He’s maintained enough of a lead to prevent the kind of spending from outside groups that has taken over other Senate races, such as the ones in North Carolina or Colorado.
Franken’s campaign has mirrored his approach as a senator. He’s known for developing policy expertise after leaving comedy for politics, and avoiding being at the center of partisan showdowns in D.C. On Capitol Hill, he’s known for spurning national reporters almost entirely in favor of Minnesota media.
As he’s maintained a double-digit lead heading into the final days before the election, Franken has welcomed Democratic stars to the campaign trail, including First Lady Michelle Obama, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
