(CBS) Al Franken took the oath of office to officially become a U.S. Senator for the state of Minnesota on Tuesday.
After a protracted, eight-month battle with incumbent Republican Norm Coleman, the swearing in session took just a few brief moments. Franken was administered the oath by Vice President Joe Biden and was accompanied by his fellow Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Vice President Walter Mondale.
While Franken has kept a serious demeanor in his role as a politician, Klobuchar made light of her new colleague's lengthy road to the Senate when she introduced him today.
"I think it was Al who told me that the third year of his campaign would be the best," she said.
Franken won a hearty round of applause from his fellow senators in the chamber after he accepted the oath and Biden congratulated him.
The new senator will join the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Committee on Indian Affairs, the Special Committee on Aging and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee -- once health care reform legislation has been marked up.
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