Al Franken may be the first comedian to run for Senate, but he will not be the last. Randy Credico, a professional comedian and impressionist, has formed an exploratory committee to challenge powerful Sen. Charles Schumer for his seat in the state of New York in 2010 because of Schumer’s past support for deregulation of the banking and insurance industries.

“Chuck Schumer is a stooge of Wall Street who pretends to fight for the middle class,” Credico said. “He has betrayed the progressive agenda of the country.”

A liberal activist who has spent years advocating the repeal of the Rockefeller drug laws and fighting racial profiling, Credico plans to run against Schumerism, which he explained, is “when you trade campaign contributions for votes against the people and for the big boys.”

Credico said he wouldn’t have formed an exploratory committee if a real progressive in Congress chose to challenge Schumer. The problem, he said, is that “these phony liberals look at Schumer’s war chest stuffed with special interest cash and speak of challenging Sen. Gillibrand instead.”

Credico is not looking to out-raise Schumer but rather mobilize hundreds of thousands of progressive Democrats through a genuine netroots campaign. He has set up a website which enumerates his platform and continually slams Schumer.

“No one is more responsible for the Nation’s financial meltdown than Chuck ‘Pay to Play‘ Schumer who took millions in campaign contributions in return for gutting oversight and regulation of our financial sector,” Credico declares on the site. “Chuck Schumer has been a prostitute for corporate America at the expense of the average citizen.”

Featured prominently on the site is a picture of Credico in a brown, leather jacket and jeans, wearing a baseball cap and standing in a Manhattan alleyway. It gives the impression that Credico will fight for the common people because he’s one of them and makes for a stark contrast with Schumer, who has spent three decades in government.

“Chuck Schumer may point out that I once had a problem with drugs and alcohol, as chronicled in an award winning film,” said Credico, who was the subject of the documentary 60 Spins Around the Sun. “But Schumer is far more dangerous. He is addicted to power and has sold out our core progressive principles for hits of campaign cash.”

NY Daily News’ Liz Benjamin notes that Schumer won his contest in 2004 with 71 percent of the vote, meaning that Credico’s candidacy is a real longshot. Long odds or not, Credico promises his bid will be “the most creative and entertaining guerilla campaign in American political history.”

The New York Post’s Page Six recently reported that notorious political hitman Roger Stone is advising Credico. Reached for comment by TNA, Stone said that he has “no formal or informal role” in the effort.

“Randy is a friend, and I give him my advice when he asks,” Stone explained, “but I am most certainly not a consultant to his campaign.” Stone added that he did intend to be involved in the 2010 New York races, particularly with a candidate for Governor.

It looks like Credico’s campaign will get some help from his brethren in Hollywood, where he recently spent time networking with fundraisers. Roseanne Barr has agreed to do a fundraiser for his campaign in L.A. Credico is also great friends with Larry David, Arianna Huffington, and Charles Grodin.