National Democrats join Chuck Schumer in writing off Mike Franken
Burgess Everett | POLITICO
The police report came out at perhaps the worst possible time for Mike Franken.
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Then the conservative Iowa Field Report published an April report his former campaign manager filed with Des Moines police, alleging that Franken kissed her without consent. The woman who filed the report told police that Franken has kissed other women and had what she called “1950s interactions” with them, but did not describe the behavior as sexual or aggressive.
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Responding to Franken’s comments about how the police report came to light, Michaela Sundermann, a spokesperson for Grassley, said “dismissing her allegations of assault as politically motivated is baseless and disrespectful.”
“Mike Franken is not the victim here, and he should hold himself to a higher standard as a candidate for public office,” Sundermann said.
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Being an Iowa Democrat isn’t easy to begin with these days: Democrats have lost the past four Senate races. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer disparaged Franken’s chances recently over dinner with colleagues, according to Punchbowl News. Schumer also left Iowa out of his $15 million allocation toward Senate races.
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David Bergstein, a spokesperson for Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, said: “The DSCC is not involved in this race.” The Schumer-linked Senate Majority PAC, whose affiliated Duty and Honor PAC spent roughly $250,000 attacking Grassley according to AdImpact, declined to comment.
It’s not a surprise that Franken may be on his own this fall given his history in the state. He challenged DSCC-backed candidate Theresa Greenfield in 2020, losing the nomination by double digits. (Iowa’s GOP incumbent, Joni Ernst, ultimately defeated Greenfield by 6 points.)
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It’s unclear how damaging his former campaign manager’s allegation will prove. Democratic candidate Cal Cunningham’s North Carolina Senate bid imploded in 2020 after an extramarital affair was revealed. Former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who is unrelated to Mike Franken, resigned his seat in 2017 after several women alleged he made unwanted advances on them.
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