U.S. Senate candidate Michael Franken speaks with attendees during the Iowa Democrats' Passport to Victory event at Johnson's Supper Club in Elkader, Iowa, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019. (Eileen Meslar/Telegraph Herald via AP)

Old-school manners and modern political views are what Iowa senator candidate and retired U.S. Navy Admiral Michael Franken carries with him on the campaign trail.

He is one of four Democratic candidates running against U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and he made a stop for coffee in Marshalltown on Sunday.

The other Democratic candidates are Kimberly Graham, Theresa Greenfield and Eddie Mauro.

Franken, 61, who lives in Sioux City, said he threw his hat into the ring for a variety of reasons. He has a platform based on the environmental crisis, improving the health care situation in the country and saving the family farm.

Franken has a strong background in the military and in science – he earned a master’s degree in physics from the College of Physics at the Naval Postgraduate School. It is because of his background in science that he believes climate change is real and ongoing.

“Ninety percent of people agree there is climate change going on,” he said. “That 90 percent is broken in half. Some believe it is man-made and the rest believe it is natural. Science points to man’s role and I am a science guy.”

Franken proposes to bring climate change supporters and farmers together to take necessary steps toward solving the situation. He acknowledges that some people are fervent climate deniers who choose to remain ignorant of the problem. While Franken said he cannot help those people, society must proceed and bring the agriculture industry into the fold.

The candidate for Senate also wants to standardize medicine and provide the American people with the same health care that military personnel receive. Franken is all about fairness. He said when there are a large amount of billionaires in our wake and a single parent who has a salary of $32,000 goes broke after a child breaks an ankle, that is a problem.

“Do you believe in the sanctity of the family farm?” Franken said. “Are the educational opportunities for your kids what they used to be? Is the profit loss curve pleasing for you? Do you like the Farm Bill? Do you believe in the future of the small town? Has your sense of national security been improved or lessened in the last few years? Do you believe big government has your best interests in mind? Keep in mind my dear friends that you have the elected officials you chose. The family farm is suffering and we are on the cusp of a recession with a yearly deficit of $1 trillion. We need to look in the mirror and decide if we are on the right side of things.”

——

Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com