Hello,
With all eyes on Ukraine, now more than ever, our elected officials need to take a step back and deliberate on the Russian invasion and how it could impact Iowans, especially in rural Iowa. I recently sat down with Forbes magazine and shared some thoughts. I firmly believe that America is back, and our best days are ahead of us. Small-town Iowa has done global outreach before, and we should all be in this together and ready to help out. You can read the full article here.
I’ve attended several Democratic County party meetings via zoom in rural Iowa over the past few weeks, and while they may not have strength in numbers, their dedication to core values of fairness, justice, and equal opportunities remains intact despite being outnumbered unmoved citizens or by Republicans. I applaud their hard work, and in these areas, we should remind our neighbors of what Democrats actually stand for in order to counter the false narratives perpetuated by Tucker Carlson and his ilk. I don’t care how many Democrats are registered in your county, I am always eager to speak with you and more importantly listen to your thoughts on how we can win people back.
If your county party is holding any upcoming events or if you are interested in hosting a fundraiser or meet and greet, please email us at [email protected].
Our campaign was abuzz when we learned that one of our supporter’s letter to the editor appeared in the Cedar Rapids Gazette last weekend. I want to thank Ed Flaherty in Iowa City for your support! From Iowa City to Elkader and all points in between, we are running a campaign to appeal to all Iowans. We are quickly gaining support from every corner in the state, and I also want to give a special thank you to all of our volunteers who are helping out with our nominating petition drive. I just got an update from Aaron, our Field Director, and things are going great. For instance, in one rural county, we have over one percent of all its citizens on our petitions. Great results come from fabulous volunteers.
ENDORSEMENT ALERT
I am honored and humbled to announce a campaign endorsement from former Iowa Lieutenant Governor and 2016 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Patty Judge. She and I have talked at length about the abundance of opportunities for innovations in agriculture in Iowa. As an Albia native, she understands that our rural economy strengthens the state and builds a better Iowa for everyone. I am honored to have her on my team, just as Iowans are better off today because of her past leadership.
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We'll see you out there on the trail.
Thank you for reading this.
Sincerely,
Mike Franken, VADM, U.S. Navy (ret.)