The Franken for Iowa campaign is energized to roll out the endorsement of Bonnie Campbell, Iowa’s first woman Attorney General and first director of the Violence Against Women Office at the U.S. Department of Justice.
“Bonnie Campbell is a revered Iowa leader. She’s an accomplished attorney who has dedicated her life to serving people through advocacy and protection. Bonnie is a champion for women’s rights and human rights and I’m honored to have her support. I look forward to working with her on the campaign trail to retire Chuck Grassley and bring strong Iowa leadership to the U.S. Senate,” said Mike Franken.
Campbell said, “This moment in history calls for a leader like Mike Franken who knows the value of hard work, who has decades of critical experience defending our democracy, and who will stand up and advocate for all Iowans. Mike will continue to fight for justice, equality, and he will build a brighter future for Iowa.”
Campbell has been lauded for authoring one of the first anti-stalking laws that initiated a framework used by states across the nation to protect women. She also blazed the trail for women in Iowa as the first woman chair of the Iowa Democratic Party.
Bonnie joins a list of powerful endorsers including Lt. Col Alexander Vindman, Retired; Former Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge, VoteVets, Great Plains Laborers District Council of LiUNA and dozens of Iowa elected officials and activists.
ABOUT BONNIE CAMPBELL:
Campbell grew up in upstate New York. After graduating from high school, she moved to Washington, D.C, and worked as a clerk-stenographer for several politicians from 1965 to 1967, then as a clerk for the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations from 1967 to 1969. From 1969 to 1974, she was a caseworker in the office of U.S. Senator Harold Hughes. Her work for Hughes brought her to Iowa, where from 1974 to 1981, she worked as a field office coordinator with U.S. Senator John Culver. In 1982, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Drake University, then earned a Juris Doctor from Drake University Law School in 1984. She worked as a lawyer in private practice in Iowa from 1985 to 1991.
From 1987 to 1991, Campbell was the chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party. In 1990, she was elected as Iowa’s attorney general, serving one term. She is known most during her time as attorney general for having written an anti-stalking law that became a national blueprint. In 1994, she ran for governor but lost to incumbent Gov. Terry Branstad. On March 21, 1995, President Clinton appointed Campbell to head the U.S. Department of Justice’s newly created Office on Violence Against Women, a position she held until 2001 when Clinton’s term ended. Campbell returned to private practice in Washington, D.C., and in 2003, she moved back to Iowa and opened a private legal practice. In 2007, she was appointed by Gov. Chet Culver to the state’s Board of Regents, serving through 2011.
ABOUT MIKE FRANKEN
Admiral Mike Franken is running for the Democratic Nomination to defeat Senator Grassley. He recently outraised his primary opponents and launched his first ad. Mike has been campaigning across Iowa, meeting voters where they are to discuss issues that matter to them.
Mike was born and raised in rural northwest Iowa, the youngest of nine children. Lebanon, Iowa, had eight houses, a church, and a small feed store. The Franken home was small – one bathroom for a family of ten. Mike’s life centered on helping his dad, going to school, and exploring nearby Dry Creek.
He learned the meaning of sacrifice from his mother – a one-room schoolhouse teacher with a brilliant mind who left teaching to raise her children full time. She maintained her passion for learning – always with a book in hand, encouraging her kids to read.
He learned the value of hard work from his dad – a WWII Veteran who mastered his craft in his small machine shop, where Mike learned to weld and run a lathe. Mike never shied away from work – he went on to do odd jobs as a farmhand for many farms in the area, and he was the youngest foreman at the age of 19 in a nearby meatpacking plant.
It was this humble and grounded Iowa beginning that gave Mike an opportunity to earn a scholarship into the U.S. Navy where he dedicated 40 years of his life serving our country. He experienced sea duty in four navy destroyers, a destroyer squadron, and an aircraft carrier. Mike was the first commanding officer of the USS WINSTON S CHURCHILL – deploying frequently to the world’s hotspots.Mike’s experience and expertise are unparalleled. He retired as a three-star Admiral in 2017.
Learn more about the campaign at www.frankenforiowa.org
Original source can be found here
