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Mike Franken outraises Abby Finkenauer as Democratic primary for US Senate gains traction

cigaretteman

HR King
May 29, 2001
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U.S. Senate candidate Mike Franken leads the Democratic primary field in fundraising so far this year, new reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show.

Franken, a retired Navy admiral, reported raising nearly $1.4 million in the quarter ending March 31. That outpaces Democratic rivals Abby Finkenauer and Glenn Hurst, who reported raising $1.15 million and $33,794 respectively.

"Seven weeks out from the primary election, we are in a strong position to make significant investments in voter outreach to win the primary," Franken's campaign manager, Julie Stauch, said in a statement. "We are confident that we will have the financial backing and statewide grassroots support necessary to retire Grassley.”

Franken announced Monday he would leverage that fundraising into television advertising. His campaign will begin airing ads in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids media markets, making him the first Iowa Senate candidate to go on TV — a move that could help boost his name ID as he heads into the June 7 primary election.


More:Iowa Democrat Mike Franken takes US Senate campaign to TV with first ads of the 2022 election cycle

Finkenauer's campaign noted in an email that she has raised $3 million since the start of the campaign — far more than Franken's $1.8 million raised throughout the campaign cycle.

Hurst, in a statement, said that money is a poor metric for measuring support and viability in a primary race.

"Our campaign supporters are the most dedicated Democrats, county party chairs, past candidates, elected officials, state central committee members, environmental leaders and activists, healthcare professionals, and reformers," he said. "Our pockets may not be the deepest, but our influence is the broadest."

Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley bested the full Democratic field, raising nearly $1.7 million and growing his war chest to $4.6 million.

 
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Reactions: Tunadog
I was hoping the Supreme Court would keep her off so the donors could continue to focus their money on Franken. He has a better shot against Grassley anyway.
 
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Reactions: Tom Paris
Will see if that keeps up now that she’s back in the primary. I’d imagine most donors leaned towards Frankenstein or stayed away until they knew where Abby stood.

Honest question, how much of the interest here for Frankenstein is because he’s more unknown? I’m sure he’s a good guy, obviously a vet and has a good record there, but what’s the general appeal otherwise? I believe he’s failed twice in previous primaries, so I have questions about his viability as a candidate.
 
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