With eight days until the midterm election, Sen. Al Franken held a get-out-the-vote rally on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus Monday along with actor Jon Hamm and members of the Minnesota Democratic Party, encouraging students to take charge and vote.
Franken is up for re-election in the U.S. Senate against Republican challenger Mike McFadden. Duluth Mayor Don Ness kicked off the rally by telling students that every voice counts and “every eligible voter makes a statement.”
Gov. Mark Dayton’s running mate, Tina Smith, and 8th District Rep. Rick Nolan also took turns addressing issues concerning students, including equal pay for equal work, a minimum wage increase and college affordability.
Franken outlined his stance on college affordability, going over his introduced bill that would allow 540,000 Minnesotans to refinance their student debt.
“You can refinance your home, you can refinance your car,” Franken said. “Shouldn’t you be able to refinance your student debt?” He said Minnesota’s average for college debt after graduation is fourth highest in the country.
“There’s $1.2 trillion in student debt in this country right now; it’s higher than credit card debt,” Franken said. “It’s slowing our economy down.”
Franken also discussed his stance on net neutrality, using YouTube’s barebones startup as an example.
“That’s the economy -- we’re in an information economy,” Franken said. “You want someone who understands that.”
Actor Jon Hamm, star of the AMC TV show “Mad Men,” accompanied Franken to show his support for the senator’s campaign.
“He’s someone who’s become my friend because he cares about the same things that I care about,” Franken said. Hamm encouraged students to vote because “you feel like you’re doing something, and you’re making a difference.” He has volunteered for many campaigns, and is currently touring with Al Franken.