Candidate Franken

Will comedian and pundit Al Franken really go head-to-head with Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman in 2008?

Looks like a distinct possibility – in recent days Franken has reached out to all the members of the state’s Democratic delegation, according to a report from the Associated Press today.

If Franken were elected, he would be the fourth consecutive Jewish American to hold that Senate seat (after Rudy Boschwitz, Paul Wellstone and Norm Coleman). But even before meeting Coleman in the general election, Franken would likely face a crowded Democratic primary field that could include Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Rep. Betty McCollum and trial lawyer Michael Ciresi, a former Senate candidate.

For his part, Coleman appears to have been put on notice by freshman Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar’s overwhelming victory last November. He has been among a vocal cadre of Republicans who oppose sending more troops to Baghdad, and yesterday he was one two GOP senators (the other being Gordon Smith of Oregon) to vote for the failed Democratic ethics reform package.