I expect she was helpful for him to have not developed a show biz head. That and his own good sense. But two heads full of good sense always is better than one alone.
The Eric Black - MinnPost Oct. 29 story is this link.
I have not tried to track down whether there has been any formal Franken press release (Black's reporting does not reference one). That means the criteria he used are unknown to me, but can be fairly well anticipated: A legislative record of leadership and ability to work effectively even under the burden of a Pawlenty governorship and the hand thus holding the veto pen, a record of being an avid and skilled campaigner knowing how to contact and relate to people in a diverse Senate district, skills now expected to serve well in doing the same thing in Minnesota's entire Sixth Congressional District rather than in only a part. A stance on issues fairly much more moderate than we can expect Franken in the Wellstone seat to display over his six or more years in the Senate; but one likely to gain traction in a congressional district that was closely divided in both elections where Bachmann twice took only plurality victories, never gaining anything near to majority voting.
And a Clark nod is not necessarily pejorative of the other DFL hopeful, Maureen Reed.
We can guess Franken might favor Clark as the more electable of two well qualified candidates (either of which would clearly be a vast improvement over the statewide embarrassment Michele Bachmann has made of herself and the District).
Briefly, Black wrote:
DFL elected officials -- including now Sen. Al Franken -- continue to flock to the campaign of state Sen. Tarryl Clark, who hopes to take on U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann in the fall, but who still faces Dr. Maureen Reed for the DFL endorsement and, potentially, in a DFL primary.
An invitation to a Minneapolis house-party fund-raiser for Clark next month lists the following members of the "honorary host committee" for the event:
U.S. Sen. Al Franken, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Minnesota Sen. Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher, state Sen. Scott Dibble of Mpls, state Rep. Frank Hornstein of Mpls.
[...] It goes without saying how much DFLers, and even the national Dem donor base, would love to make a serious run at Bachmann's seat next year.
[italics added where Black names names] That's the gist of what Black wrote, but if you want a look at the entire item, it is, again, this link.
_____UPDATE_____
Strib has parallel coverage.