Hello,

When a candidate for office asks you to lend them your support — you should be confident about what they stand for.

After over 36 years serving in the United States Navy, I'm home to unseat Chuck Grassley and become the next Senator from Iowa — and I'm writing today to ask you to become a founding donor to this campaign.

So, here's some substance about where I stand on the issues:

• Every American should enjoy comprehensive healthcare. That includes dental, mental, and preventive care, and ultimately, Medicare available to all who need it.


• The threat posed by the climate crisis is enormous, but so are the benefits we can enjoy by addressing it. That’s especially true in Iowa thanks to renewed leadership in agriculture and bioenergy.


• It's appalling that large corporations and the very wealthy pay a lower tax rate than ordinary Iowans. It's time to stop giving working families a raw deal and start eliminating loopholes for the ultra-rich.


• Too many of our students right here in Iowa don't get the quality of education they deserve. We need to pay our teachers what they're worth, and we can take steps to improve education in rural areas by making sure they get their fair share of per-student spending.


• And finally, I believe that Americans deserve a movement of steel-jawed Democrats who win with the first punch and don't back down. We don't need to coddle Chuck Grassley and others who were aware of attempts to overthrow our democracy; we need to show them the barn door.

If all of this sounds right to you, friend, then there is something you can do about it: Chip into our campaign today. We're going to run this race the right way, focusing on our vision for the future of every Iowan and every American — and your gift today will help make sure voters hear our message.

I've said this before, but I'll repeat it here. I think you deserve a Senator who is pragmatic enough to achieve what’s achievable, but bold enough to aim for what we haven't yet been able to achieve. It's my sincere hope I can be that Senator for you.

Thanks for your support, and thanks for doing what it takes to win this election.

Mike Franken, VADM, U.S. Navy (ret.)