I got an e-mail from Sen. Al Franken late this afternoon
December 21, 2017
Dear Richard,
Thank you for contacting my office. I appreciate hearing from you.
I have announced that I will resign from the Senate. This was a hard decision. But I am confident that Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith will make an excellent United States Senator. She is a dedicated public servant who's worked tirelessly on behalf of Minnesotans and she will continue to bring that spirit to Washington.
It's been the honor of my life serving the people of Minnesota in the Senate for the last 8 years. Minnesota continues to be one of the most civically engaged states in the nation. And I'm so proud that - by listening and learning from your ideas and experiences - I've been able to continue the tradition of finding commonsense solutions to problems that affect our state.
For many of us, the 2016 election represented a very real threat to not just the advances we made during the Obama Administration, but also to our neighbors, friends, and family members who are at risk of being harmed by the dangerous policies of this administration. In the face of this, I am proud to see how many Minnesotans have joined me in defending the progress we've made.
As we look ahead toward the next fight, it's important that we remember how far we've come. When I joined the Senate in 2009, people who are gay or lesbian were outlawed from serving openly in the military, same sex marriage was illegal in all but a handful of states, people could actually be denied health coverage because of an illness, and families were much more vulnerable to lenders who could issue mortgage loans without taking any meaningful steps to see if a consumer could repay them. We have made real progress that we should be proud of.
Senator Paul Wellstone - whose seat I have been so honored to hold-used to say that politics isn't about winning or losing - it's about improving people's lives. And over the last 8 years, that's what we've done. We've stood up for what we know is right, worked hard to find common ground, and made people's lives better.
Today, people are more engaged in the political process than I have ever experienced in my career. From the Women's Marches across the country to defeating efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, people are raising their voices. The passion I've seen this year makes me confident that - despite the significant challenges we face - progress is still possible.
Thank you for contacting me. I look forward to working with you - as a citizen and activist - to make life better for Minnesotans and people across this country.
Sincerely,
Signature
Al Franken
United States Senator
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