Franken to raise money with SNL alums

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who took pains to distance himself from his “Saturday Night Live” personas during his 2008 Senate run, will host a fundraiser with several of the show’s alums this weekend in Los Angeles.

Slated to appear, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, are Dan Aykroyd, Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon.

{mosads}A cocktail and dinner reception for big donors will be held before another, less expensive, reception. The events will benefit both Franken’s 2014 reelection campaign and his leadership political action committee.

Franken held a fundraiser in Minneapolis recently featuring current “SNL” cast member Seth Meyers.

— A.B.

Poll shows McCain with comfortable lead in GOP primary

A new poll shows Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) with a comfortable lead over primary opponent J.D. Hayworth. 

The incumbent senator leads Hayworth 54 to 28 percent in a Rocky Mountain Poll released Tuesday.

The results give Hayworth only a slim chance of defeating McCain. The former congressman would have to capture all of the undecided primary voters to come within eight points of McCain. He’d then have to get independents to cross over.

Independents can vote in either the GOP or Democratic primaries in Arizona.

Among the 20 percent of independents who lean toward voting in the GOP primary, Hayworth gets 43 percent to McCain’s 46. If he can gain traction on issues other than border security, he might  give McCain a scare.

McCain’s reelection worries wouldn’t end after the Aug. 24 primary, according to the poll.

In a match-up against Democrat Rodney Glassman, McCain’s share of the vote goes down to 46 percent. Glassman, the vice mayor of Tucson, gets 24 percent, with 30 percent undecided. Meanwhile, Hayworth polls only 37 percent against Glassman.

The survey was conducted by the Phoenix-based Behavior Research Center April 12-25.

— S.J.M.

‘Start drinking decaf,’ Emanuel tells Chicago reporters

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was peppered with questions about his mayoral ambitions after leaving a panel discussion at the University of Illinois in Chicago on Tuesday.

Amid the excitement, Emanuel tried to downplay his recent remarks about succeeding Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D). “It’s great to be back in Chicago, and I don’t want to be disruptive to what the mayor’s doing here,” he said.

“As you know, we have our home here,” Emanuel added. “And I can’t wait; at some point in the future — don’t over-interpret everything, don’t everybody get excited — at some point when we come back, which is always our goal, which is why we rented the house.”

According to Chicago Public Radio, one reporter asked, “So the name Mayor Emanuel sounds good to you?”

Emanuel replied: “I think you guys are way too excited. You guys [have] got to start drinking decaf.”

On a more serious subject, Emanuel said that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s legal team had not subpoenaed him to testify in the Democrat’s upcoming corruption trial.

Last week, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) confirmed he has been subpoenaed by Blagojevich’s lawyers. There have been reports Blagojevich also wants to subpoena President Barack Obama.

— S.J.M.

Lieberman to host fundraiser for Reid

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) will host a fundraiser for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), whom he has often antagonized, Sunday in Greenwich, Conn. Lieberman left the Democratic Party after losing his Senate primary in 2006 and has had a tempestuous relationship with Democrats ever since.

He caucuses with Democrats but campaigned for Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in the 2008 presidential campaign, and many Democrats were unhappy with his criticism of Barack Obama.

Reid was under pressure in January 2009 to yank Lieberman’s chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee, but decided against it.

The fundraiser also is raising eyebrows because earlier this year, in a profile, Reid said Lieberman double-crossed him on healthcare reform. Lieberman opposed a government-run insurance plan. After the New York Times piece ran, both senators issued statements saying there was no bad blood between them. Lieberman spokeswoman Erika Masonhall said the two men remain close.

“Sen. Lieberman supports his good friend Sen. Reid and was more than happy to help in his reelection efforts,” Masonhall said.

— A.B.