Franken Campaign Update – 461 Days Until Election Day!
"Letter to Editor"08/01/2007
Dear Friend,
It's an exciting time to be part of Al's campaign. Let me take a moment to bring you up to speed on some of the latest news from the trail.
Star-Tribune Ad
Earlier this month, Norm Coleman made it crystal-clear why we need to replace him in the United States Senate. He had the chance to vote for a bi-partisan plan to start bringing our troops home from Iraq. Instead, he chose to stand with President Bush once again.
And so we decided it was time to make it crystal-clear that Al would be a different kind of Senator. We took out a full-page ad in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune calling Coleman out for voting against bringing our troops home. If you haven't seen it, be sure to check it out.
We've gotten some great feedback on the ad through our website, http://www.alfranken.com.
David from St. Paul writes, "What a great ad! I am a real believer in what you're saying on this issue. I am a former Marine, and a father of young men who could conceivably end up in this mess in Iraq. Keep up the pressure on Coleman!"
Sharon from Minnetonka writes, "Good ad. Coleman needs to be replaced. We mut get out of Iraq as quickly as possible in the most thoughtful way possible."
Daniel (no location given) writes, "I wish other Democrats would take a page from your playbook. It's an ideal ad because it's simple and aggressive. It's also the truth."
Chuck from Falcon Heights writes, "Thank you, Al, for saying what needs to be said."
Thanks to everyone who chipped in to help pay for the ad, and to everyone who offered feedback!
Fundraising
In the second fundraising quarter, Al out-raised Norm Coleman, pulling in over $1.9 million - that's the highest total of any Senate challenger in the country.
But what's even more impressive is that in our first five months, we've received contributions from over 36,000 donors - and we had more donors from Minnesota this past quarter than any other candidate, including Sen. Coleman.
We're breaking the stranglehold of big money on politics by proving that a campaign funded in small chunks by folks like you and me (over 95% of our donations have been for less than $100, and our average contribution in the second quarter was just $65.10) can match a campaign funded by $10,000 checks from lobbyists and CEOs.
Thanks to everyone who helped us make this statement about our people-powered campaign. (And a special thanks to everyone who made a contribution to help us open our new office - more on that later!) We're going to need to continue growing our donor base throughout the year, so if you haven't made a contribution yet, would you consider doing so today?
Endorsements
Even though the DFL endorsing convention is almost a year away, Al is already building a strong and diverse coalition of Minnesota progressives.
In May, he was endorsed by United Steelworkers District 11. Steelworkers Local 2705 in Hibbing has also endorsed Al, and we spent a memorable morning touring the taconite plant there and meeting with workers.
In June, Al received the endorsement of Teamsters Joint Council 32, as well as Teamsters Local 120, the largest local in the state.
And Al has now been endorsed by more than 30 state legislators, as well as State Auditor Rebecca Otto. You can check out the full list on our web site.
New Headquarters
On July 21st, we held an open house to celebrate the opening of our new headquarters on University Ave. in St. Paul. Over 400 people packed in to meet Al, learn a little bit about the campaign, and look for their names on our special wall thanking the hundreds of small-dollar donors whose contributions helped open the doors.
It was a special day for Al, Franni, and the rest of TeamFranken. We invested a lot of money (and a fair amount of sweat equity) in putting together our new space, and it's become a home away from home for our staff, interns, and tireless volunteers. It was great to see so many new faces and celebrate the amazing growth of our grassroots organization. If you're in the area but couldn't make it to the open house, give us a call at 888-908-2008 and sign up for a volunteer shift. It's a lot of fun and a great way to get involved.
Coming Attractions
-- Al will be on "The Late Show with David Letterman" tomorrow night at 10:30 Central Time. Check your local listings (I've always wanted to say that).
-- We'll be rolling out some new features at our website, http://www.alfranken.com, soon. Check back in coming days to see the new events technology, lots of new pictures from the campaign trail, and some great new videos from our recent travels we're really excited to release!
-- This month, Al comes to Shakopee, Fort Ripley, Lucan, Chisago City, Brooklyn Park, Glenwood, Golden Valley, and Plymouth - and that's just for starters. Check out our events page for a full listing.
-- It's fair season! Look for Al this month at FarmFest in Redwood Falls, at GameFair in Ramsey, and, of course, at the State Fair in St. Paul, so stop by our booth and say hi! We're currently brainstorming some creative ideas for our State Fair booth - if you've got a fun idea, drop us a line.
Action Center
-- We always need volunteers to help us out here at our new HQ, but we'll need extra help during the State Fair. If you've got some time free between August 23 and September 3, email Hassan at and sign up to help man our booth at the Fair.
-- Our campaign runs on people power. That means we need your creativity and your hard work, but it also means we need your money. Now would be a great time to make a contribution, be it $100, $50, or even $20! Could you help us out today?
-- Finally, even if you don't have a single dollar to contribute or a single hour to volunteer, do you have just a single moment to help spread the word about our campaign? Please forward this update to your friends and let them know you're part of our exciting campaign. And encourage them to join us by going to http://www.alfranken.com.
Thanks for all you've done and for all you'll do.