Hello,

Growing up in rural Iowa, I thought we were well-to-do because we had a piano, a well-used sewing machine, a big garden, and a flag pole. Our house was small, one bathroom, for a family of ten. I was surprised to know that not every family struggled with affording the $7 meal ticket each kid needed for school.

Lebanon, Iowa, had eight houses, a church, and a small feed store. My life centered on helping my dad, school, and exploring Dry Creek, a wonderland of aquatic life down the hill. The nearest town was Hudson, SD, nine miles west down a gravel road.

We were the prototypical rural Iowa family. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, lunch, then supper kept the house full of aromas. “Read a book,” would be mom’s terse direction if you showed any idleness. It is from this humble beginning, work as a welder, farmhand, then in a slaughterhouse, that brought me into the U.S. Navy.

America must present an opportunity for its citizens to achieve great things. From homemade clothes (I’m the littlest one) to a three-star Admiral is just one such journey. The next step is to use life’s experiences to continue a lifetime of service to this nation and my state of Iowa.

I’m running for U.S. Senate against Chuck Grassley here in Iowa because I can represent people from all walks of life. My life’s experiences provided an innate understanding for what it means to be a Democrat: to care as much for those I’ve never met as I do for those I know. Obviously, Chuck Grassley is not a Democrat; he seems to only care about what Trump and his corporate PAC donors want.

People like me aren’t supposed to be able to run and win. Mitch McConnell and his Super PACs are already raising millions from corporate special interests to try to make sure I don’t.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, though, it’s that anything is possible when a group of people work together to make it happen. I’m not taking one dime from corporate PACs; instead, I’m running my campaign entirely with support from over 14,500 grassroots donors like you.

So please, if you’re able to, will you consider making a donation to my campaign today to help me defeat Chuck Grassley and turn Iowa blue? Senate control is on the line in my race, and whatever amount you can spare today would go a long way in protecting our Democratic majority in the Senate.

I’m running for Senate to represent the people of Iowa – all of the people of Iowa – not special interests or corporations.

But I need your help now if I’m going to be able to fight back against all of Chuck Grassley and Mitch McConnell’s attacks and win.

Thank you so much for being a part of this campaign,

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