Hello,

$5,800. That’s the maximum amount that a person can give to a candidate running for Senate. And a lot of candidates, like my Republican opponent Chuck Grassley, wile away their time calling millionaires and flying to fancy dinners around the country to ask wealthy donors to cut them that $5,800 check.

$25.85. That’s OUR average contribution this month. And that’s what sets the people-powered campaign we’re building apart from Chuck Grassley’s. Grassley has a $3.7 million campaign war chest thanks to special interests. But I’m not taking money from corporate PACs. My campaign is funded entirely by people like you, from across the country, giving what they can, when they can.

So how does $25.85 compete with $5,800? By doing it together. I know in my bones that 250 people giving $25.85 is a lot stronger than one person giving $5,800. And a grassroots campaign is the only way we’ll defeat Chuck Grassley, take on the NRA, and rein in Wall Street.

I’m facing a critical FEC fundraising deadline on Wednesday, and we’ve set a huge goal to raise $400,000 from grassroots donors like you before this federally-mandated deadline, after which our fundraising numbers will become public.

We’ve still got $90,617 left to raise, but if you and thousands of others chip in right now, we will crush our goal and send Chuck Grassley packing this November: Please, will you chip in $5 or more right now – whatever you can afford before our critical FEC deadline – to help me defeat Chuck Grassley, turn Iowa blue, and protect our Democratic majority in the Senate?

Let’s show the power of grassroots-funded campaigns like ours.

Thank you for your support,

Mike Franken, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (ret.)