Hello,

Fox News and my opponent Chuck Grassley are hot to paint me as “liberal.” They’re already calling me a radical socialist who is the most liberal person to ever run for office. (*eye roll*)

Bit of history: Iowa was one of the first states to open college for women, to elect women to public office, and admit female lawyers to the bar. We were the second state in the nation to allow interracial marriage and the first state to desegregate public schools. Iowa is home to America’s oldest mosque, and we were the third state to recognize same-sex marriage.

You would think the good Senator would recall these events… Perhaps Grassley has forgotten Iowa and who we are – or maybe he’s just once again playing partisan politics and courting the support of far-right fringe groups to try to win reelection.

Iowa has always been a place of progressive values, and I am running against Chuck Grassley because it’s time to return our state to its roots of advocating equality and caring for one another.

Chuck Grassley, his Super PAC buddies, and Fox News are already attacking me and even my military service. The polls show a close race, and if I defeat Grassley this November, Democrats are guaranteed to keep our Senate majority this November.

I’m ready to fight back, but I’m counting on grassroots donors like you to give me the tools to do it. We need to raise another $85,000 before our fundraising deadline at midnight tonight, and right now, we are falling dangerously short.

I don’t take a dime of corporate PAC money, so I have only grassroots donors like you to turn to: Please, will you make a donation to my campaign right now – whatever amount you can afford before our midnight deadline – to help me defeat Chuck Grassley, turn Iowa blue, and protect our Democratic Senate majority?

I’m going to be called a lot of things by the Republicans between now and November. But with your help now, Chuck Grassley will be calling me to concede on Election Night.

Thank you for everything you do,

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