No Joke: Al Franken Is Getting Campaign Help From Conan O'Brien

Facing a competitive Senate reelection in a year, Al Franken is turning to a celebrity friend to help raise money for his 2014 campaign. 

In an e-mail sent Friday, Franken offered supporters who donate to his campaign a chance to have brunch at Conan O'Brien's house in Los Angeles on April 7.

"Imagine how much fun it would be to hang out at Conan’s house. Imagine how jealous your ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend/boss/parents/neighbors/cousins will be. Imagine how ridiculous your friends will look when they compete to be your plus-one," Franken said in the e-mail.

Franken and O'Brien both graduated from Harvard and worked together on Saturday Night Live. In 2008, when he first ran for the Senate, Republicans criticized Franken as unserious for public office. In that race, Franken downplayed his celebrity connections. 

Now, nearly four years later, he's not shying away from his friends. Several SNL alumni, including Kevin Nealon, Dan Aykroyd, and Dana Carvey, have headlined fundraisers for the freshman senator. O'Brien attended a fundraiser for Franken's campaign back in May 2010, as well.

"Do it for Conan," Franken wrote in the sarcasm-tinged e-mail.