The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota’s largest newspaper, called on Sen. Al Franken Alan (Al) Stuart FrankenGOP Senate candidate says Trump, Republicans will surprise in Minnesota Peterson faces fight of his career in deep-red Minnesota district Getting tight — the psychology of cancel culture MORE (D-Minn.) to resign following allegations of sexual misconduct and growing calls from his colleagues to step aside.

"The incidents of alleged sexual misconduct have become too damaging for him to continue. Franken has said he will make an announcement on Thursday: It should be that he is resigning," the newspaper wrote in an editorial on Wednesday.

The editorial came not long after Franken’s office said the senator would be making an announcement on Thursday. The notice did not provide further details.

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Roughly two dozen Democratic senators called on Franken to step aside by Wednesday afternoon, including No. 2 Democrat Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) and Kamala Harris (Calif.).

"No senator can function effectively when he has lost the confidence of so many colleagues," the Star Tribune editorial board wrote.

The calls for Franken's resignation followed new allegations on Wednesday from a woman who claimed Franken forcibly kissed her in 2006. Another woman's account of a similar incident was published later Wednesday.

The calls for Franken to resign are a shift from last week, when Democratic senators dodged questions by noting that they wanted to wait for an Ethics Committee investigation into his actions.



Franken has been battling allegations of sexual misconduct since mid-November, when radio host Leeann Tweeden said he kissed and groped her without her consent during a 2006 USO tour.



Since then, multiple women have come forward saying Franken inappropriately touched them during photo ops and at other events.