Forceful Franni Franken embraces new life on the Hill

WASHINGTON - Franni Franken pauses during her lunch at a Mexican restaurant on Capitol Hill to extract a green flash drive from her purse.

"This is my homework," she says, as she twirls around the tiny digital memory device that holds a research report on youth rehabilitation. It is a reference to a nightly ritual with her husband, Sen. Al Franken, called "homework time," when the two stop what they are doing to sit side by side in their living room perusing legislation, research reports, voting records and news clips.

Not since Sheila Wellstone has a congressional spouse from Minnesota gotten as involved in public policy as Franni Franken, who is using her new role to push a variety of causes.

While Sen. Al Franken's staff emphasizes that she operates in a purely unofficial capacity, Franni Franken is gradually developing into a force of her own, lending her name and voice to domestic violence groups, closely following legislation and speaking out on women's issues.

Her daily schedule is "pretty packed," she explains. She meets with a growing list of advocacy organizations, attends Senate hearings, appears at a wide array of events around Washington and is gradually ramping up her public speaking. On Wednesdays, she regularly works the room at her husband's weekly constituent breakfast, a chatty, effusive presence who seldom perches in one place for long .

When Sen. Franken defended a high-profile piece of legislation last month, the other half of team Franken kept vigil from the gallery, providing moral support to the inspiration for the bill: self-identified rape victim Jamie Leigh Jones. The next day, as Sen. Franken interrogated a witness at a committee hearing featuring Jones, Franni Franken was there, peering over heads in the crowd to get a better look.

Embracing a new life

A powerhouse on the campaign trail who stumped the state and served as her husband's most valuable surrogate, Franni Franken now walks the halls of Congress -- a transition she has found easy.

"I embrace Washington and I embrace my new life," she said recently, after emceeing an event organized by the Sheila Wellstone Institute, a St. Paul-based nonprofit that focuses on domestic violence issues.

"I'm new in town and I still have a lot to learn," said Franni Franken, who has joined the organization's steering committee. "But my goal is to be an effective spokesperson and advocate."

Franken is quick to rattle off specific legislation she is following in Congress, including a bill to prevent violence against women internationally and efforts to bar insurers from listing domestic abuse as a pre-existing condition.

In addition to the Sheila Wellstone Institute, Franni Franken has joined forces with the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center and the PACER Center, which is focused on disabled children. A self-described recovering alcoholic, she is also wading into addiction and dependency issues and has plans to meet with former Rep. Jim Ramstad on expanding Sobriety High, a specialized high school program and foundation for addicted youth.

"What can I say, it's a partnership," said Sen. Franken, who noted in a recent fundraising letter that the pair have known each other for 40 years. During the campaign, he often joked that "they" were running for the Senate and if they won, "I get to be the senator."

The Frankens' close bond is apparent in Franni's frequent presence on the Hill. When Sen. Franken sat down for lunch with South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Senate dining room several months ago, Franni was right beside them at the table as the senators discussed prison reform legislation.

Next best thing

For the groups she chooses, Franni Franken has the power to raise the profile of a specific issue or put it on her husband's radar. "You've got to pick and choose your battles," she said.

"[Al Franken] can't focus on everything all the time," said Suzanne Koepplinger, executive director of the Minneapolis-based Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center. "So it's really great to have her really taking that extra time to look at these particular issues around gender violence specifically and being a strong voice for us in Washington."

Franni Franken has also begun to explore the political side as well as the policy and will co-host a fundraiser this month for Tarryl Clark, a state senator seeking the DFL endorsement in a race to unseat Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann.

But when Franken found herself this summer sitting on an airplane next to Bachmann, the two bonded unexpectedly over a love of good deals and spent the plane ride swapping local bargain spots.

She also maintains good relations with the partisan media back home, making herself available regularly for interviews with liberal Minnesota blogger Eric Pusey. Published online weekly, Pusey's "Fridays with Franni" column features casual, sometimes meandering transcribed conversations that touch on everything from policy to the furniture in the Franken home.

If her new life sounds hectic, Franni Franken doesn't seem to mind.

"This is the life Al and I love," Franni says. "We don't really see it as work."

Eric Roper • 202-408-2723