Al Franken was in Duluth on Tuesday to rally support for his Senate campaign.
The rally was a "house party" in the home of former Duluth City Councilor Laurie Johnson, who was surprised at how many people showed up.
"I thought [the house] would be big enough," Johnson said.
No head count was taken, but Franken campaign staffers said they got 102 people to sign up to caucus for the candidate, and it was unlikely that everybody in attendance signed up.
Johnson got her guests' attention by standing on a chair and go-go dancing before introducing Franken. Franken followed suit, dancing on his chair before addressing the crowd.
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Franken talked about promoting more environmentally friendly economic policy and restoring the credibility of the federal government in the eyes of the world and American youth. He was critical of U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, the incumbent Republican, and President Bush.
Franken spoke briefly with Duluth Mayor Don Ness, who made a short appearance and left before the speeches. Franken encouraged him to work for light rail service that would connect Duluth and the Twin Cities, a topic he also touched on in his speech.
"It would be so exciting to get rail between Duluth and the Twin Cities," Franken said. "It would be nice to get rail, and it would be nice to get high-speed rail."
Franken ended his speech by encouraging the now-sweaty crowd to "catch this wave" and to sign up to caucus for him on Feb. 5.
New Duluth City Councilor Jeff Anderson announced that he endorsed Franken's candidacy.
Jenny Ahern and Walter Wedan were among the first to sign up after Franken's speech.
"Everybody's ready for a change," Wedan said. "There is a wave, and I think we can make this country better again."
