Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (DFL) will officially announce on Wednesday who he has picked to replace Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) who resigned (kind of) last week.
While Franken said he would be stepping down in the "coming weeks," he has not yet said what his last day in office will be. (This has led to some speculation that he won't be resigning at all.)
Regardless, Dayton issued a statement on Tuesday saying that the replacement will be announced during a press conference on Wednesday. Whoever is appointed will serve in Franken's seat until the special election in November of 2018 for another replacement. The person appointed may run in that election, but that remains to be seen.
From the Star Tribune:
Gov. Mark Dayton will announce his choice to replace Sen. Al Franken at a Wednesday news conference, according to a statement from his office.
Franken announced last week his intention to resign after allegations of improper conduct toward more than half a dozen women.
The Wednesday news conference will end days of speculation about whom Dayton would send to Washington and also whether the person intends to run for the office or be a caretaker until the special election in Nov. 2018.
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According to Minnesota Public Radio, who had some of the first reports about Franken's resignation, five likely choices for Franken's replacement are Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, Attorney General Lori Swanson, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), State Senator Melissa Franzen, or Alan Page, a former Minnesota Supreme Court justice. If Ellison were appointed, he would be the first Muslim member of the Senate.
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