Comedian turned politician Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) has officially drawn his first major Republican challenger for his 2014 reelection bid.
Businessman Mike McFadden announced in a video Wednesday that he would be running for the seat.
“I think my dad would be a great senator because he sees Minnesota’s infinite potential and dares to dream big,” McFadden’s daughter said in the video that touted the wealthy executive’s work ethic and family values.
McFadden is largely unknown to Minnesotans and a recent poll from the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling found Franken 15 points ahead of McFadden, 51 percent to 36 percent. Franken boasted double digit leads over all potential GOP rivals.
On the off chance that Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), who announced Wednesday that she would not seek reelection, decides to run for the seat, she would be facing a significant uphill climb as the poll found her trailing Franken by 17 points.
But still, Franken may yet face considerable challenges. In an epic 2008 showdown, Franken beat incumbent GOP Sen. Norm Coleman by a mere 312 votes.
The PPP survey polled 712 Minnesota voters and has a margin of error of 3.7 percent.
