“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, and that I’m committed to being a voice for all Minnesotans in the U.S. Senate,” said Franken.

“I received a very gracious victory call from Coleman. He wished me well and I wished him well,” he said. “I said, ‘Norm, it couldn’t have been closer.’ I can just imagine what it was like for him and his family.”

Franken fielded many questions about being the 60th Democratic senator, putting the party past the threshold necessary to beat back Republican opposition in the Senate.

“I’m not going to Washington to be the 60th Democratic senator. I’m going to Washington to be the second senator from Minnesota,” he said. “I also see myself as the 100th senator. I am junior to 99 other senators.”

Franken said he already has staff in place in Washington and that he could get seated as soon as next week. The Democrats have saved committee seats for him including the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, which he said he specifically requested.

On the chance of another court battle, Franken said it was unlikely given Coleman’s concession.

“Twelve judges looked at this and agreed unanimously. I think that this is conclusive. This has been as thorough and painstaking as we can get,” he said.

Franken added, “For those who worked for me, volunteered for me and supported me, you know that not one bit of energy went to waste.”

Speaking to a crowd of about 100 Somalis who gathered at Augsburg College on a chilly Saturday afternoon, both contenders also committed that they will do everything they can to help reduce the backlog of family reunion applications at the State Department, which’s holding up thousands of Somali destitute refugees in camps in East Africa.

Four years ago, late Sen. Paul Wellstone and then challenger Norm Coleman made similar commitments in that same location.

The event was organized by Somali Action Alliance, a voter participation project. Each candidate was asked four questions and then gave a seven minute speech.

more insideWhat distinguished between Kennedy and Klobuchar is their approach to win the hearts and minds of Somalis, whose vote ascended to national prominence after helping Democrat Keith Ellison win the primary in September.

Kennedy, cognizant that most Somalis are socially conservative, said he shares the “strong family values