I wonder who is going to win this one?

In an April episode of ABC’s “The View,” Bill Maher and Rosie O’Donnell professed their support for Al Franken’s 2008 Minnesota Senate candidacy, with O’Donnell saying she was “maxing out” to the comedian-turned-candidate.

O’Donnell kept to her word, contributing $2,300 to his campaign, the maximum donation for the primary, while Maher chipped in $1,000. They were among the more than 50 contributions that Franken, a former “Saturday Night Live” star, received from actors, writers, producers and others in the last reporting period, his campaign finance report shows.

The man that Franken has in his cross-hairs, Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, used April’s episode of “The View” to help with his own fundraising. In a letter to prospective contributors, Coleman wrote: “I need your help to fight back against Hollywood’s liberal elite! Rosie O’Donnell, Bill Maher and Larry David sit atop the Democratic Party’s elite clique of big benefactors.”

Franken’s friends in the entertainment field helped catapult him to a surprising lead in money raised in the second quarter of the year, covering April through June. Franken raised about $1.9 million, compared with $1.66 million for Coleman, R-Minn., and $750,000 for Democratic candidate Mike Ciresi.

Story