Hello,

I was a three-star admiral, but when Donald Trump was elected, I voted with my feet and retired after 36 years in the U.S. Navy. Life is about choices, and I was not going to work for a demagogue such as Trump.

Because here’s something you won’t hear anyone on Fox ‘Entertainment’ News admit: Donald J. Trump was – and still is – a national security threat.

Trump wanted to withdraw from NATO, cozied up to our enemies, and alienated our allies. He attacked our democracy and incited an armed insurrection on our Capitol. He tried to hold military aid to Ukraine hostage, and who knows what kind of kompromat Russia has on him...

Twice Donald Trump was impeached. And twice Chuck Grassley stood by his side. It’s time for my opponent Senator Chuck Grassley to stand on a bit of principle and finally repudiate any affiliation with Donald Trump. If you don't stand against him, then you stand with him.

I’m running for Senate because Republicans like Chuck Grassley are still acting like Trump’s lap dogs. They’ll do nothing to confront the climate crisis, take on Big Pharma and the NRA, or rein in Wall Street. And when I defeat Chuck Grassley, Iowa will be represented by the most senior military person ever-elected to the U.S. Senate. That sounds fitting right about now.

The polls show Chuck Grassley can be beaten. His approval ratings are lower than they’ve ever been. But McConnell is raising millions into Super PACs to attack me with lie-filled ads, so if I’m going to win, I need grassroots donors like you to give now.

We’re facing a huge fundraising deadline on Tuesday, and right now we’re still very short of our $75,000 goal and what we need to win and turn Iowa blue.

Please, may I count on you to give $5 or more right now – every dollar you can afford – to help me defeat Chuck Grassley, turn Iowa blue, and protect our Democratic majority in the Senate?

Donald Trump has already come and hosted one campaign rally for Grassley in Iowa. He’s sure to be back.

But they have a big problem with this admiral. Everything the far-right thinks they ‘own’ – patriotism, service, and blue-collar ethics – will be empty rhetoric against me.

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

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