FRANKEN: Thank you, everybody. Thank you for being here. Thank you so much.
(APPLAUSE)
Franni and I are so thrilled that we can finally celebrate this victory, and I am so excited to finally be able to get to work for the people of Minnesota.
I received a very gracious call from Sena
FRANKEN: Thank you, everybody. Thank you for being here. Thank you so much.
(APPLAUSE)
Franni and I are so thrilled that we can finally celebrate this victory, and I am so excited to finally be able to get to work for the people of Minnesota.
I received a very gracious call from Senator Coleman a little while ago. He wished me well; I wished him well. And we agreed that it is time to bring this state together.
Over the last eight months, as the nation has watched this all unfold in this state, Minnesotans have earned the right to take pride in the transparency and the thoroughness of our process and in the integrity of our election officials.
But during the same period, Minnesota families have continued to face real challenges. So even though Franni and I are thrilled and honored by the faith that Minnesotans have placed in me, I’m also humbled, not just by the closeness of this election, but by the enormity of the responsibility that comes with this office. We have a lot of work to do in Washington, but that’s why I signed up for the job in the first place.
When we started this campaign way back in February of 2007, I said that Americans have never backed away from tough challenges and Minnesotans have always led the way. Working with our fantastic senior senator, Amy Klobuchar , I’m going to fight hard to make quality health care accessible and affordable to all Minnesotans, to make sure that our kids have an education that prepares them for a 21st-century economy, to make Minnesota the epicenter of a new renewable energy economy that frees us from our dependence on foreign oil, to restore our standing in the world, and put people to work here at home.
To those Minnesotans who worked for me, volunteered for me, voted for me, I can’t tell you how grateful I am. When you win an election this close, you know that not one bit of effort went to waste.
And to those who devoted their time and energy to supporting Senator Coleman, I can only imagine how hard these past months have been. But no matter whether you voted for me or for Senator Coleman or for Senator Barkley or whether you voted at all, I want the people of Minnesota to know that I’m ready to work for all of you, that I’m committed to being a voice for all Minnesotans in the U.S. Senate.
I know there’s been a lot of talk about the fact that when I’m sworn in I’ll be the 60th member of the Democratic caucus, but that’s -- that’s not how I see it. The way I see it, I’m not going to Washington to be the 60th Democratic senator. I’m going to Washington to be the second senator from the state of Minnesota, and that’s how I’m going to do this job.
(APPLAUSE)
I promise to do my best, to work hard, to stand on principle when I believe I must, and, yes, to compromise when I believe that that is in the best interests of the people of Minnesota. So on behalf of Franni and our beautiful kids, Joe and Thomasin, let me say thank you to the people of Minnesota for your patience, for your thoughts and prayers, and for giving me the opportunity to work for you in Washington. I can’t wait to get started.
(APPLAUSE)
Now we’ll take -- we’ll take a few questions. Thank you.
QUESTION: When do you -- when do you expect to have the election certificate in hand and sworn in? How difficult is it going to be to come in so much later than everybody else?
FRANKEN: Well, I -- I can’t tell you exactly when I’ll be seated, but I think it will be early next week. And it will be -- coming in, in mid-session will be more difficult than having started January 6th, I’m sure, but I’ve been trying to keep abreast of what’s been going on and I’ll do the best I can.
QUESTION: Senator-elect, can you tell us -- describe the moment Norm Coleman called and essentially conceded the race to you after nearly eight months of anguish and frustration. Describe what that moment was like knowing you were going to become a U.S. senator.
FRANKEN: It was really -- it was a very gracious call, I must say. He -- he -- I -- he said it was a very hard-fought campaign. I said it was -- I said, “Norm, it couldn’t have been closer.” And I said to him that Franni and I can only imagine what this was like for him and his family, and he just -- he just said, “This is going to be the best job you’ll ever have.”
QUESTION: And you agree, I take it?
FRANKEN: I -- I hope it’s the best job I ever had. I -- yes, I -- I think it will be.
QUESTION: Describe that moment, when the weight of all this was finally off your shoulders, that you’re going to take office?
FRANKEN: Well, I don’t -- you’re right. I don’t know if it’s really sunk in yet. And so it was just -- I have to say, it was just a really nice moment between two people who really fought hard. And I -- he couldn’t have been more gracious.
And that’s really what I felt in the moment was, “This is -- this is nice. It’s a nice way to end this.”
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: ... to Harry Reid or any of the leadership in Washington about what kind of positions you will be holding in terms of committee assignments...
FRANKEN: Yes.
QUESTION: ... and how they will get you up to speed? And what have you been doing for the past few months? You have not been making that many public appearances.
FRANKEN: Well, I talked to the majority leader. He called after the decision was announced. I’ll be on the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee. I’ll be on -- which I’m very happy about. I’ll be on Judiciary. I’ll be on Indian Affairs, which I asked for. And I will be on Aging, which I think dovetails nicely with Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
And what have I been doing over the last -- we’ve been doing a lot. We’ve -- I’ve been going back and forth to Washington. I have a staff in place so I could hit the ground -- if not running, trotting, and been trying to keep abreast of what’s going on in -- in the Senate. It’s not the same as being there, though; I know that.
We’ve also had to raise some money during this period, so I’ve been doing that, as well.
I’ve also been meeting a lot of people around the state. Franni and I have had a lot of folks over for -- for dinner who we think can help us with different kinds of things like health policy and education policy. So we’ve been using this time, I think, pretty productively.
QUESTION: How many more people do you have to hire?
FRANKEN: How many more people do...
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: ... how many do you have to hire?
FRANKEN: You should send your thing to -- I’m not sure exactly. We’re -- we’re getting pretty staffed up. We have -- we’re pretty staffed up in -- in Washington and pretty staffed up here. Alana Peterson is our state director here, and Drew Littman is my chief of staff in -- in Washington. But we’re -- we’re pretty far along, actually.
STAFF: One more question, folks.
QUESTION: You said you don’t make -- you said you don’t want to make a big deal of being the 60th senator, but the fact is that you are. And do you think you’re going to have a strong hand in helping push forward the president’s agenda (inaudible) particularly health care?
FRANKEN: Well, as I said, I see myself more as the second senator from Minnesota. There have been -- you know, I was in a Caribou Coffee the other day. And I met a guy who had just became a citizen.
And I said, “Well, you probably -- you might know more about our government and how it works than, you know, a lot of Americans.” I said, “What were some of the questions?” He said, “One of the questions was, how many senators are there?” And I said, “And what did you put?” He said, “I put 100.” I said, “There’s 99.” And we laughed. He laughed a little harder than I did.
I really see myself also as the 100th senator. I’m going to be junior to 99 other senators. And so I -- I actually am going to be entering with a great deal of humility and -- and with a lot to learn and also to do the work of the people of Minnesota.
So, again, it’s the second -- and as far as the 60 is concerned, there -- you know, 60 is a magic number, but it isn’t, because we know that we have senators who -- Republicans who are going to vote with the Democrats, with a majority of Democrats on certain votes, and Democrats that are going to vote with majority Republicans on others.
So it’s -- it’s not quite as a magic number as -- as some people may say. But I -- I hope we do get President Obama’s agenda through.
Yes?
QUESTION: Sorry to interrupt, Senator-elect. Norm Coleman stopped short of saying (OFF-MIKE) congratulated you on your victory and said the Supreme Court has spoken. He stopped short of saying who got the most votes in this election.
FRANKEN: Sure.
QUESTION: Is that a concern of yours (OFF-MIKE)
FRANKEN: Well, I think what you had was 12 judges look at this through the canvassing process, through the recount, through the election contest, and then through the decision in the Supreme Court, all agreeing unanimously that I won the majority -- or not the majority -- I won more votes than anybody else in the election.
And I think that’s -- I think that is conclusive. And I think that this has been as thorough and as transparent and painstaking as possible. And, again, it’s 12 judges, Republicans, Democrats, independents who all have agreed every step of the way, except for on some very, very small things, procedural things during the recount.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) 312 (OFF-MIKE) what would you want Minnesotans to know (OFF-MIKE) and that you are taking (OFF-MIKE)
FRANKEN: Well, one thing I really do take away from this is that I won by 312 votes, so I really have to earn the trust of the people that didn’t vote for me and of all the people of Minnesota and let them know, not just by my saying so, but by my actions that I’m going to be working for every Minnesotan and I’m going to be thinking of that every day when I wake up.
QUESTION: Are you hiring?
QUESTION: What are your immediate travel plans?
STAFF: Last question.
FRANKEN: My...
QUESTION: What’s your immediate travel plans? I mean, are you heading to Washington tomorrow or something? Or...
FRANKEN: No, we’re probably not going -- I think we’re going up to the range to do some parades, is my first travel plans. And I probably won’t be -- I probably won’t be in Washington until early next week.
QUESTION: What’s going to be the hardest part of this transition?
FRANKEN: I think the hardest part about this transition is there is a real difference between getting briefings on what’s going on in these committees and having been there for, say, the markup of the health bill.
So it really will be catching up. And, you know, I -- I think that’s going to be the hardest part of the transition. But I guess the hardest part of any transition to a new job is the stuff you didn’t know would be the hardest part.
So I guess that’ll be the hardest part. Does that make any sense? I hope it does.
Thank you, everybody. Thank you.
tor Coleman a little while ago. He wished me well; I wished him well. And we agreed that it is time to bring this state together.
Over the last eight months, as the nation has watched this all unfold in this state, Minnesotans have earned the right to take pride in the transparency and the thoroughness of our process and in the integrity of our election officials.
But during the same period, Minnesota families have continued to face real challenges. So even though Franni and I are thrilled and honored by the faith that Minnesotans have placed in me, I'm also humbled, not just by the closeness of this election, but by the enormity of the responsibility that comes with this office. We have a lot of work to do in Washington, but that's why I signed up for the job in the first place.
When we started this campaign way back in February of 2007, I said that Americans have never backed away from tough challenges and Minnesotans have always led the way. Working with our fantastic senior senator, Amy Klobuchar , I'm going to fight hard to make quality health care accessible and affordable to all Minnesotans, to make sure that our kids have an education that prepares them for a 21st-century economy, to make Minnesota the epicenter of a new renewable energy economy that frees us from our dependence on foreign oil, to restore our standing in the world, and put people to work here at home.
To those Minnesotans who worked for me, volunteered for me, voted for me, I can't tell you how grateful I am. When you win an election this close, you know that not one bit of effort went to waste.
And to those who devoted their time and energy to supporting Senator Coleman, I can only imagine how hard these past months have been. But no matter whether you voted for me or for Senator Coleman or for Senator Barkley or whether you voted at all, I want the people of Minnesota to know that I'm ready to work for all of you, that I'm committed to being a voice for all Minnesotans in the U.S. Senate.
I know there's been a lot of talk about the fact that when I'm sworn in I'll be the 60th member of the Democratic caucus, but that's -- that's not how I see it. The way I see it, I'm not going to Washington to be the 60th Democratic senator. I'm going to Washington to be the second senator from the state of Minnesota, and that's how I'm going to do this job.
(APPLAUSE)
I promise to do my best, to work hard, to stand on principle when I believe I must, and, yes, to compromise when I believe that that is in the best interests of the people of Minnesota. So on behalf of Franni and our beautiful kids, Joe and Thomasin, let me say thank you to the people of Minnesota for your patience, for your thoughts and prayers, and for giving me the opportunity to work for you in Washington. I can't wait to get started.
(APPLAUSE)
Now we'll take -- we'll take a few questions. Thank you.
QUESTION: When do you -- when do you expect to have the election certificate in hand and sworn in? How difficult is it going to be to come in so much later than everybody else?
FRANKEN: Well, I -- I can't tell you exactly when I'll be seated, but I think it will be early next week. And it will be -- coming in, in mid-session will be more difficult than having started January 6th, I'm sure, but I've been trying to keep abreast of what's been going on and I'll do the best I can.
QUESTION: Senator-elect, can you tell us -- describe the moment Norm Coleman called and essentially conceded the race to you after nearly eight months of anguish and frustration. Describe what that moment was like knowing you were going to become a U.S. senator.
FRANKEN: It was really -- it was a very gracious call, I must say. He -- he -- I -- he said it was a very hard-fought campaign. I said it was -- I said, "Norm, it couldn't have been closer." And I said to him that Franni and I can only imagine what this was like for him and his family, and he just -- he just said, "This is going to be the best job you'll ever have."
QUESTION: And you agree, I take it?
FRANKEN: I -- I hope it's the best job I ever had. I -- yes, I -- I think it will be.
QUESTION: Describe that moment, when the weight of all this was finally off your shoulders, that you're going to take office?
FRANKEN: Well, I don't -- you're right. I don't know if it's really sunk in yet. And so it was just -- I have to say, it was just a really nice moment between two people who really fought hard. And I -- he couldn't have been more gracious.
And that's really what I felt in the moment was, "This is -- this is nice. It's a nice way to end this."
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: ... to Harry Reid or any of the leadership in Washington about what kind of positions you will be holding in terms of committee assignments...
FRANKEN: Yes.
QUESTION: ... and how they will get you up to speed? And what have you been doing for the past few months? You have not been making that many public appearances.
FRANKEN: Well, I talked to the majority leader. He called after the decision was announced. I'll be on the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee. I'll be on -- which I'm very happy about. I'll be on Judiciary. I'll be on Indian Affairs, which I asked for. And I will be on Aging, which I think dovetails nicely with Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
And what have I been doing over the last -- we've been doing a lot. We've -- I've been going back and forth to Washington. I have a staff in place so I could hit the ground -- if not running, trotting, and been trying to keep abreast of what's going on in -- in the Senate. It's not the same as being there, though; I know that.
We've also had to raise some money during this period, so I've been doing that, as well.
I've also been meeting a lot of people around the state. Franni and I have had a lot of folks over for -- for dinner who we think can help us with different kinds of things like health policy and education policy. So we've been using this time, I think, pretty productively.
QUESTION: How many more people do you have to hire?
FRANKEN: How many more people do...
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: ... how many do you have to hire?
FRANKEN: You should send your thing to -- I'm not sure exactly. We're -- we're getting pretty staffed up. We have -- we're pretty staffed up in -- in Washington and pretty staffed up here. Alana Peterson is our state director here, and Drew Littman is my chief of staff in -- in Washington. But we're -- we're pretty far along, actually.
STAFF: One more question, folks.
QUESTION: You said you don't make -- you said you don't want to make a big deal of being the 60th senator, but the fact is that you are. And do you think you're going to have a strong hand in helping push forward the president's agenda (inaudible) particularly health care?
FRANKEN: Well, as I said, I see myself more as the second senator from Minnesota. There have been -- you know, I was in a Caribou Coffee the other day. And I met a guy who had just became a citizen.
And I said, "Well, you probably -- you might know more about our government and how it works than, you know, a lot of Americans." I said, "What were some of the questions?" He said, "One of the questions was, how many senators are there?" And I said, "And what did you put?" He said, "I put 100." I said, "There's 99." And we laughed. He laughed a little harder than I did.
I really see myself also as the 100th senator. I'm going to be junior to 99 other senators. And so I -- I actually am going to be entering with a great deal of humility and -- and with a lot to learn and also to do the work of the people of Minnesota.
So, again, it's the second -- and as far as the 60 is concerned, there -- you know, 60 is a magic number, but it isn't, because we know that we have senators who -- Republicans who are going to vote with the Democrats, with a majority of Democrats on certain votes, and Democrats that are going to vote with majority Republicans on others.
So it's -- it's not quite as a magic number as -- as some people may say. But I -- I hope we do get President Obama's agenda through.
Yes?
QUESTION: Sorry to interrupt, Senator-elect. Norm Coleman stopped short of saying (OFF-MIKE) congratulated you on your victory and said the Supreme Court has spoken. He stopped short of saying who got the most votes in this election.
FRANKEN: Sure.
QUESTION: Is that a concern of yours (OFF-MIKE)
FRANKEN: Well, I think what you had was 12 judges look at this through the canvassing process, through the recount, through the election contest, and then through the decision in the Supreme Court, all agreeing unanimously that I won the majority -- or not the majority -- I won more votes than anybody else in the election.
And I think that's -- I think that is conclusive. And I think that this has been as thorough and as transparent and painstaking as possible. And, again, it's 12 judges, Republicans, Democrats, independents who all have agreed every step of the way, except for on some very, very small things, procedural things during the recount.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) 312 (OFF-MIKE) what would you want Minnesotans to know (OFF-MIKE) and that you are taking (OFF-MIKE)
FRANKEN: Well, one thing I really do take away from this is that I won by 312 votes, so I really have to earn the trust of the people that didn't vote for me and of all the people of Minnesota and let them know, not just by my saying so, but by my actions that I'm going to be working for every Minnesotan and I'm going to be thinking of that every day when I wake up.
QUESTION: Are you hiring?
QUESTION: What are your immediate travel plans?
STAFF: Last question.
FRANKEN: My...
QUESTION: What's your immediate travel plans? I mean, are you heading to Washington tomorrow or something? Or...
FRANKEN: No, we're probably not going -- I think we're going up to the range to do some parades, is my first travel plans. And I probably won't be -- I probably won't be in Washington until early next week.
QUESTION: What's going to be the hardest part of this transition?
FRANKEN: I think the hardest part about this transition is there is a real difference between getting briefings on what's going on in these committees and having been there for, say, the markup of the health bill.
So it really will be catching up. And, you know, I -- I think that's going to be the hardest part of the transition. But I guess the hardest part of any transition to a new job is the stuff you didn't know would be the hardest part.
So I guess that'll be the hardest part. Does that make any sense? I hope it does.
Thank you, everybody. Thank you.