Franken: ‘Every vote counts’

Former US senator calls DFLers to action at fundraiser event

GRANITE FALLS -- As he addressed a crowd of southwest Minnesota Democrats on Friday evening, former U.S. Sen. Al Franken brought plenty of humor. But the core of his message was a more serious one. Franken urged DFL members to get out the vote, especially for the next presidential election.

"Every vote counts. And you may not win the state Senate or the state House next time," Franken said. "But there's a presidential (election) coming up. And it's a scary one, because Republicans in this country now have completely given up on democracy."

Franken was the keynote speaker at a fundraiser held by the DFL in state Senate District 15 Friday evening. A crowd of people sat at lawn chairs and picnic tables inside an outbuilding at Tim and Connie Velde's farm in rural Granite Falls.

Tim Velde said it was good to see the turnout, which included Democrats from around southwest Minnesota. Audience members said they came from communities ranging from Willmar to Madison Marshall and New Ulm.

"It's a good crowd. I'm sure we're up over 200 people now, so this is a very good evening," Velde said.

Velde said he first met Franken back when the "Saturday Night Live" alumnus was first campaigning for U.S. Senate.

"I said I was a farmer in western Minnesota," Velde said. "He said, 'I know nothing about farming. I need somebody to talk to.' He said, 'Could I come out to your farm and talk to you?'"

Franken said it was good to be back at the Velde farm on Friday.

"It's great. I've been friends with the Veldes for a long time, since I started all this. It's very familiar territory. It's good to see a lot of old friends," Franken said.

The crowd at the fundraiser enjoyed food and live music from local performers, but plenty of people also waited to meet and take pictures with Franken. Theresa Keaveny, of the DFL Rural Caucus, said it was good to see the turnout. Part of it was people's interest in hearing Franken speak -- he had been a voice for farmers in Minnesota, she said. But there was also a lot of energy in the party.

"There's a lot of enthusiasm among the DFL in Minnesota," Keaveny said.

In his keynote talk, Franken shared stories from his time in the Senate, as well as learning about agriculture as a candidate.

"I really respect farmers. What I started to understand about farmers is, you are agronomists, you are weather men and women, and you're businessmen, and you're veterinarians and scientists," he said. "I was very proud to represent Minnesota in the Senate and fight for our issues."

Franken's speech turned more somber when he talked about national politics.

"We have horrible divisions in our country now. Horrible divisions that have just gotten exponentially worse because of Donald Trump," Franken said. Some of the examples he discussed included the Republican National Committee calling the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol "legitimate political discourse," and the indictment of former President Trump for felony charges related to mishandling classified documents.

It was more important than ever for Minnesota Democrats to turn out and vote, Franken said.

"We have to deliver Minnesota, and I believe we will," he said.

Franken spoke with a reporter from the Independent before his keynote speech Friday. There were a lot of positive results that came out of the DFL trifecta in the state Legislature, and the 2023 session, he said.

"My PAC, the Midwest Values PAC, really was involved in Minnesota and worked hard for the Senate caucus especially. And we're very proud that we were able to get that extra seat, and that the Legislature and the governor were able to achieve everything they achieved," Franken said.

A lot of the legislation to come out of this year's session would have an impact in Minnesota, from free school lunches for children, to tax adjustments and new family and medical leave laws, he said. There were also challenges ahead.

"I love that we expanded Medicaid here, and, you know, we've got to get to universal health care," Franken told the Independent. "There's different way's to do that. You don't have to do single-payer, you can do it all different kinds of ways, but we need to be able to get to that. Every other developed country has it. They do it for less cost than we do. I think there's a lot of savings when you have everybody getting care."

Immigration reform was also something Minnesota needed, Franken said.

"Minnesota needs workers. And the backlogs on asylum are crazy," he said. "We have to spend more money on the process, and get more resources to that process."

When asked if he had been thinking about a return to politics, Franken said, "Not really, but I'm keeping it open."