Thread by @studentactivism

Once a year I emerge from my lair, see my shadow, and remind you that Al Franken is never going to be a US Senator again. thehill.com/homenews/senat…

Last time this came up, I noted that Minnesota's two senators are both women, and both much younger than Franken. Neither is retiring soon, and his not going to challenge either of them in a primary.

Since then, Franken has apparently moved to New York City. He recently conceded the obvious fact that there's no way in hell he's going to primary Gillibrand, and that leaves Chuck Schumer.

Schumer is running for re-election in 2022, and Franken will be eighty years old in 2028. So that's out.

And there's no senate seat anywhere in the US that isn't New York or Minnesota that Franken would have a chance in hell of winning.

For new followers who are wondering what I think about Franken's resignation, there's a big thread here which links to further details in previous threads:

https://twitter.com/studentactivism/status/1366053942950563844

Short version: Some of the Franken allegations were made up, some weren't. He had weeks to present a coherent argument for retaining his seat, but never did. He could have held on and demanded a trial, but didn't do that either, and it probably would have gone badly if he had.

(And by "Al Franken is never going to be a US Senator again," I of course mean "Al Franken has no plausible path back to the senate." If you disagree, tell me which seat you think he [1] might run for and [2] could win, in which year.)

Also, for those of you who are angry that I'm claiming to know the future: I COMPARED MYSELF TO A WEATHER-PREDICTING GROUNDHOG in the original tweet.

Could I be wrong? Sure. Amy Klobuchar could be hit by a rogue meteor tomorrow, and Franken could get lucky in a primary. But he's not young, he's divisive, and the only two states where he'd be a vaguely plausible candidate aren't likely to have open seats anytime soon.

And to the folks who suggested West Virginia is his ticket back? Well...