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WASHINGTON — Republicans may have just gotten another layer of armor to defend their Senate majority. Sen. Al Franken's seat wasn't supposed to be up again until 2020. But his announcement Thursday that he was resigning amid allegations of sexual misconduct sets up a 2018 special election in Minnesota. And Republicans, who hold a 52-48 majority, are now on the hunt for a top-tier candidate in a politically competitive state where President Donald Trump lost by less than 2 percentage points last year. The unexpected opportunity could be a "total game-changer in terms of control of the Senate," said Republican...

RUSH: I got tell you, folks, I’m stunned, I’m surprised, I’m shocked. I thought that Al Franken would try to hang in there for another week. I thought he would try to make it past December 12th because that’s the key date. I told Snerdley that I was all ready for Franken to continue to stay in the Senate, not resign, defy his party. I told Snerdley, I told Snerdley before the program, just to get it on record, why I thought Franken would do that. Turns out I was wrong. Greetings. Great to have you. Rush Limbaugh and broadcast...

Al Franken speaking NOW at http://floor.senate.gov/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&event_id=1558

Embattled Sen. Al Franken’s office on Wednesday disputed a Minnestota Public Radio report that he had decided to resign on Thursday. “No final decision has been made and the Senator is still talking with his family,” said a tweet on his official Senate Twitter account.

In just a few minutes, Al Franken will appear in the well of the Senate to announce his decision about whether to stay or go. CNN and NBC report that Franken will indeed resign and make this his final appearance in the Senate:

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Just reported via KFI radio, Los Angeles AM 640 -- Senator Al Franken Resigns

On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” Mazie Hirono (D-HI), who called for Senator Al Franken (D-MN) to resign, stated she would “love it” if President Trump and Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore stepped down. Hirono said, “I would love it if both of them stepped aside. Because I have said publicly that President Trump has admitted to being a sexual predator. And as for Roy Moore, the credible allegations of him being a child molester basically should cause both of them to look at themselves and step down. I would love it. But at the same time, you...

Should Sen. Al Franken announce his resignation, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is seriously considering appointing his second-in-command to take the spot, according to a new report.Sources told ABC News that Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, a Democrat like her boss, is a top contender to replace Franken, at least temporarily. A special election would follow for voters to pick someone to serve for the remainder of Franken's term, which ends in January 2021.Franken is facing immense pressure from dozens of fellow Democratic senators to resign amid mounting allegations of sexual misconduct.He revealed that he will be making an announcement Thursday but...

Sen. Al Franken’s (D-Minn.) possible resignation on Thursday could set off a scramble among potential candidates to fill his seat while putting both Senate seats in the state up for reelection in 2018. Franken’s Democratic colleagues rapidly pulled support from him on Wednesday, as more than half of the Senate Democratic Conference — led by a stream of successive statements seemingly coordinated by half a dozen female senators — called on Franken to resign in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations. Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Thomas Perez joined that chorus, upping speculation that Franken will step aside on Thursday,...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Al Franken will resign from the U.S. Senate on Thursday, Minnesota Public Radio reported, after more than half of his Senate Democratic colleagues urged him to do so in light of sexual misconduct accusations.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer knew it was time for Minnesota Democrat Al Franken to leave the Senate even before the public calls for his resignation Wednesday. The New York Democrat told Franken in a phone call that he needed to resign after Wednesday morning’s publication of further allegations of sexual misconduct by the senator, according to a person familiar with the conversation. That’s despite the close friendship between the two lawmakers. Franken was a member of one of Schumer’s Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee classes and he provided the party with 60 votes in 2009 when he was sworn...

Hang in there, Al baby! That’s Chris Matthews’ message to embattled Senator Al Franken. Despite many of his fellow Dem senators and the head of the DNC calling for Al’s head over allegations of sexual misconduct, Matthews, on this evening’s Hardball, encouraged Franken not to cave—at least not right away. Excerpts: “Now here’s the question. What does he got to gain in quitting? Why isn’t in his interest to say, you know what? I’m going home this holiday season and I’ll think about it . . . The reason I say this is, won’t he regret any impulsive decision? ....

Minnesota state law is pretty clear on what the next steps will be, stipulating that in the event of a vacancy in the Senate, a special election “shall be held at the next November election if the vacancy occurs at least 11 weeks before the regular state primary preceding that election.” Franken’s resignation, if it happens tomorrow, will indeed occur more than 11 weeks before the state primary, meaning that a special election will be held in November 2018 to decide who Franken’s permanent replacement will be. In the meantime, Democratic Governor Mark Dayton is given the ability to make...

Embattled Sen. Al Franken will make an announcement Thursday, his office told reporters, as calls for the Minnesota Democrat's resignation rapidly gained momentum Wednesday in dramatic fashion. Twenty-three Democratic senators -- twelve female and eleven male including the second-ranking Democrat in chamber -- called on Franken to resign as allegations of sexual harassment against him continue to mount. Republican Sen. Susan Collins also called on Franken to quit.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, posted to Facebook her call on Franken to resign Click here to see the list of Senators calling on Franken to resign. A top Senate Dem says he expects Franken to resign Thursday shortly after Franken’s office said he would be making an announcement Thursday. Democrat Senator Ron Wyden tweeted,”I expect that Senator Franken will announce his resignation tomorrow. It is the right thing to do given this series of serious allegations.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing growing demands for him to resign, Minnesota Sen. Al Franken will make an announcement on Thursday. That's the word from the Democrat's office on Wednesday. Franken's support among his fellow Democrats is collapsing as a host of female Democratic senators called upon him to quit. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., all called on Franken to step down.

At least six Democratic women in the U.S. Senate are calling on Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota to resign after the latest allegation of sexual misconduct was published Wednesday morning. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Sen. Mazie Hirono‏ of Hawaii, Sen. Maggie Hassan‏ of New Hampshire, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Sen. Kamala Harris of California each released statements of social media messages calling on Franken to resign. In the latest allegation, a woman told POLITICO that Franken tried to forcibly kiss her following a taping of his radio show in 2006. A...

JUST IN: Sen Al Franken to make an announcement tomorrow, his office says. He has faced calls to resign from more than ten Democratic Senate colleagues in the past hour. http://abcn.ws/2BEWmCX

CNN host Kate Bolduan attempted to shut down conservative commentator Ed Martin on Monday morning after he blasted the hypocrisy of the coverage of Roy Moore and called Bill Clinton a rapist.During the network’s angsty coverage of President Donald Trump endorsing Roy Moore, Martin did not hold back on calling out CNN for supporting Al Franken going to the Ethics Committee for an investigation instead of calling for him to resign. He asserted that the people of Alabama should also be allowed to determine what they believe and whether or not they wish to support the candidate.CNN commentator Hilary Rosen...