ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton will name his pick to replace Sen. Al Franken on Wednesday.
Franken announced his resignation last week amid a growing cloud of sexual misconduct allegations. The second-term Democrat's official resignation date has not yet been set.
Dayton's pick will serve through next year's election, when voters will pick a candidate to finish Franken's current term ending in 2020.
A Democratic official familiar with discussions on the appointment told The Associated Press last week that Lt. Gov. Tina Smith was Dayton's preferred choice. The Democrat requested anonymity because the deliberations before the announcement were private.
Smith did not immediately respond to messages Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Franken is the Senate's dead man walking. He's still doing his day job despite his soon-to-be-gone status.
Franken was back at work this week, casting a vote in the Senate, participating in a committee hearing and attending a senators-only luncheon with Democrats.
Franken listened intently Tuesday as an expert panel talked about the high cost of prescription drugs and spoke about his work to allow the government to negotiate lower drug prices under Medicare.
Franken said his colleagues "will have to carry forward this work after I'm gone" and urged them to do so. He later posed for pictures with high school students.
