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Campaign Almanac: Mike Franken poll shows him within 4 points of Chuck Grassley
Also, candidates for myriad statewide offices will appear on ‘Iowa Press’ in coming weeks
A new poll commissioned by Mike Franken’s campaign shows him trailing Chuck Grassley by just 4 percentage points in Iowa’s U.S. Senate campaign.
The poll was conducted by Change Research, which polls for Democratic candidates for federal office, and was conducted online only.
According to the poll, 48 percent of Iowa voters said they plan to vote for Grassley, the longtime Republican incumbent; 44 percent said they plan to vote for Franken, the Democratic challenger and retired U.S. Navy admiral.
“This polling shows that Iowans are ready to move on from Chuck Grassley, and that Admiral Franken has the momentum in the race for U.S. Senate,” Franken campaign communications director C.J. Petersen said in a news release.
For the poll, Change Research surveyed 1,143 likely Iowa voters online between Sept. 3 and Sept. 8. The poll has a margin for error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Change Research recruited respondents with targeted advertising on Facebook and by texting voters using state voter file data. The results were then weighted to reflect likely 2022 Iowa voters.
Four of the most prominent national elections forecasters — Sabato’s Crystal Ball, Inside Elections, The Cook Political Report and FiveThirtyEight — all rate Grassley as the likely victor.
STATEWIDE OFFICE CANDIDATES: The candidates for three statewide offices are scheduled to appear on episodes of “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS over the coming weeks.
The public affairs show has scheduled the Democratic and Republican candidates for secretary of state, state treasurer and agriculture secretary. This past week, the candidates for attorney general appeared on the show.
The shows are not formal debates but do have both candidates appearing together to discuss issues.
The upcoming schedule is:
- Sept. 16: Secretary of State Paul Pate, the Republican incumbent, and Joel Miller, the Democratic challenger and Linn County auditor.
- Sept. 30: Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, the Republican incumbent; and John Norwood, the Democratic challenger.
- Oct. 7: State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald, the Democratic incumbent, and Roby Smith, the Republican challenger.
“Iowa Press” can be seen at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and noon Sundays on Iowa PBS; 8:30 a.m. Saturdays on Iowa PBS World; and online at iowapbs.org.
Gazette Des Moines Bureau
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Franken speaks at an Aug. 7 campaign event at Celebration Park in Vinton. A Franken campaign poll shows Franken within 4 percentage points of U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican incumbent. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)
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