Hello,

It was Ben Franklin who, when asked what form of government the constitutional convention had produced, said: “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Donald Trump’s election sealed the deal for me to retire after nearly 4 decades in the U.S. Navy. Having been in uniform for every President since Jimmy Carter, I showed my respect for Mr. Trump with my feet. I was done. It was apparent that the next four years would not go well.

Unfortunately, putting himself before his country culminated when Trump and his fellow Republicans planned, cajoled accomplices, then launched a domestic insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. Five lives were lost, and the nation’s innocence, as well. And it ain’t over.

January 6th set a precedent that leadership in a political party will condone political violence. To this day, GOP members who continue to perpetuate the Big Lie are a direct threat to our democracy. My opponent, Senator Chuck Grassley, who voted against Trump’s impeachment and tried to block a bipartisan commission from investigating the attack, still has yet to come clean.

The Republican party needs to cull its ranks of the active insurrectionists. Every single person involved in the January 6 attack needs to be held accountable for their actions, including sitting members of Congress who participated in the planning and execution of the insurrection.

I’m running for the U.S. Senate against Senator Chuck Grassley because I place nation over baseless insurrection. It is a decision not entirely unlike the time of Lincoln. One does not serve the nation in military service to watch idly while it is dismembered by the likes of Donald Trump and his accomplices, to include Chuck Grassley.

Chuck Grassley is blanketing the state with TV ads attacking me. Mitch McConnell and his Super PACs are spending boatloads more. I am the ultimate “hard target” for the Republicans, but to get elected, I need your help one last time now if we're going to turn out the vote and win. I’m not taking money from corporate PACs – instead, I’m relying entirely on grassroots donors like you.

Please, if you can afford to, donate a final $5 or more to my campaign right now – every dollar you can to fund our GOTV efforts – to help me defeat Chuck Grassley, turn Iowa blue, and protect our Democratic Senate majority.

We can – and we must – protect our democracy.

Thank you for always being a part of the team,

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