Iowa Senate Candidate Michael Franken Wants to Make the State More ‘Liberal’

Iowa Democrat Senate hopeful Michael Franken, who is trying to unseat long-time Republican incumbent Sen. Chuck Grassley, recently said he wants to make the Hawkeye State more “liberal” and more “like California.”

Franken, a retired Navy vice admiral, was seen in a video clip, first reported by Fox News, speaking during a campaign event at a high school in Des Moines, Iowa, saying he wants to make the state more “liberal.”

He went even further by saying he wanted to “change” the Hawkeye State to have more “progressive thought” than far-left California.

“Like Iowa used to be,” Franken added. “We would swing at ideas well before states like California.”

The 64-year-old Franken, who once spent some time in Washington, DC, as a staffer for Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and worked for the Navy’s chief of legislative affairs, added, “We were the generators of good ideas.”

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Fox News pointed out that Franken’s idea of pushing Iowa further to the left is of questionable merit, as inflation has skyrocketed past a 40-year high, costing Americans hundreds of dollars a month.

Additionally, the country has seen record-high gas prices sitting above $5.00 per gallon for seven straight days. The American Automobile Association (AAA) also found that California has seen gas prices reach over $6.00 per gallon since last week.

In Iowa, the price per gallon has not risen above the country’s average of $5.00 per gallon; as of Thursday, the prices were $4.758 per gallon.

Fox News also found that the average cost of renting a studio apartment in California is $1,061, whereas a similar place in Iowa rents for an average of $541.

Franken’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) hammered Franken for thinking he could win an election against a long-time incumbent like Grassley on a message of turning the state towards the left.

“If Mike Franken thinks he can win over Iowa farmers, families and the working class by wanting to turn Iowa into Pelosi’s California, then he is in for a rude awakening come November,” NRSC spokeswoman Lizzie Litzow said. “Unlike Franken, Chuck Grassley knows what the people of Iowa want and value. And it’s certainly not becoming the next blue, liberal elite state.”

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.