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Franken sets Feb. 14 as last day on radio but promises a 'sort of valentine'
He is giving "serious consideration" to a U.S. Senate bid in '08 and will announce his plans on one of his final shows, he said.
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WASHINGTON - Al Franken announced Monday that he will end his radio talk show on Feb. 14, increasing speculation that he is preparing to run for Minnesota's U.S. Senate seat in 2008.
"I'm definitely giving it serious consideration, and I plan to make a decision soon and announce that, hopefully not on the same day that Barack Obama makes his decision and announces that," Franken said on his liberal Air America radio show.
Franken disclosed his plans on the same day that Air America, which filed for bankruptcy protection last year, announced that it will be sold to Stephen Green, the founder of a New York area real estate company. Franken will be replaced on air by Thom Hartmann, a talk show host based in Portland, Ore.
"It seems like things are turning around," Franken told his audience. "Everything's falling into place."
Franken, who moved from New York to Minneapolis last year, has been contemplating a race against Republican Sen. Norm Coleman.
He said his last show on Feb. 14 will be "sort of a valentine," and he teased his audience by saying an announcement regarding a Senate bid could come on one of his final radio shows.
If he has made a final decision to run by Feb. 14, Franken said, "I'll make sure you, my listeners, are the first to know."
Franken grew up in St. Louis Park but made his mark in New York as a comedy writer and best-selling author.
ROB HOTAKAINEN
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