The 2014 Senate race in Minnesota proved far less stressful for Democrat Al Franken than the 2008 version.
Six years after winning his Senate seat by a razor-thin 312 votes, the former comedian on Tuesday prevailed in relatively easy fashion. Franken bested Republican challenger Mike McFadden, as the Associated Press called the race less than an hour after the polls closed in Minnesota.
Franken certainly welcomed the drama-free night. The Minnesota senator kept his entire first term focused a hyperlocal agenda, hoping to shake his national label as the man who gave Democrats a filibuster-proof majority in 2008.
Among the Washington press corps, Franken is seen as perhaps the least likely interview, given his relentless concentration on Minnesota media.
Republicans wondered whether President Obama’s unpopularity would drag down Franken in Minnesota, but the state proved too blue for McFadden, the former investment banker.
Though Obama didn’t appear alongside Franken, first lady Michelle Obama headlined an event for the former “Saturday Night Live” star in the final weeks of the 2014 campaign.
Unlike other Democrats, Franken hardly distanced himself from the president’s positions, aside from criticisms of Obama’s strategy for combating the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Initially bullish about their prospects in Minnesota, Republican groups ultimately decided to save their money for more competitive Senate races elsewhere. Minnesota hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate in more than 40 years.
