Election 2022 Iowa Senate FILE - Retired Navy Admiral Mike Franken salutes before speaking at the Iowa Democratic Party's Liberty and Justice Celebration, on April 30, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) (Charlie Neibergall)DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Democrat Mike Franken, a retired Navy admiral, will face Republican Chuck Grassley in the race for an Iowa U.S. Senate seat, winning his party nomination Tuesday over two competitors. Franken will nonetheless face stiff headwinds going into the general election against Grassley, who has served seven terms. Still, the episode turned off a number of veteran state Democratic activists, former candidates and officeholders, prompting some to give Franken a second look. __Associated Press writers David Pitt in West Des Moines, Iowa, and Grant Schulte in Council Bluffs, Iowa, contributed to this report.
wftv.comDES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Several Democrats are competing Tuesday for the chance to challenge Republican Chuck Grassley in what will likely be an uphill effort to defeat one of the Senate's longest-serving members. The Democratic primary largely centers on Abby Finkenauer, a former congresswoman from northeast Iowa, and Mike Franken, a retired Navy vice admiral. Finkenauer, who served a single term in the U.S. House, is one of the most prominent Democrats in Iowa. Still, the episode turned off a number of veteran state Democratic activists, former candidates and officeholders, prompting some to give Franken a second look. Grassley faces a nominal Republican primary challenge in Jim Carlin, a state legislator and lawyer from Sioux City.
wftv.comElection 2022 Iowa Senate Former U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer speaks during the Iowa Democratic Party's Liberty and Justice Celebration, Saturday, April 30, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (Charlie Neibergall)DES MOINES, Iowa — (AP) — Abby Finkenauer 's bid to clinch the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Iowa was not supposed to be so fraught. Finkenauer's campaign declined a request for an interview for this story. Often with a wide smile, she campaigns with an impassioned edge, as she did at a recent state Democratic fundraiser. Finkenauer's campaign offered the bare minimum of signatures needed from different counties, leaving herself almost no margin for error.
wftv.comElection 2022 Iowa Senate Former U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer speaks during the Iowa Democratic Party's Liberty and Justice Celebration, Saturday, April 30, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. But Finkenauer's campaign faced unexpected trouble last month when, at least for a moment, it appeared she wouldn't be allowed to compete in the June 7 primary. Finkenauer's campaign declined a request for an interview for this story. It's Finkenauer's stylistic contrast with the 88-year-old, gravelly-voiced Grassley that make her the better choice for Andrea Phillips, a former deputy state Democratic Party chairwoman. Finkenauer's campaign offered the bare minimum of signatures needed from different counties, leaving herself almost no margin for error.
wftv.comUS Election 2022 Iowa Senate Democrat Abby Finkenauer leaves the Iowa Supreme Court Building with her husband Daniel Wasta, Wednesday, April 13, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. The Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments about whether Finkenauer should be knocked out the U.S. Senate primary ballot. The court ordered the case back to the district court judge and an order is entered dismissing the objectors petition. The Iowa Supreme Court ruling affirmed an earlier decision by an election panel that Finkenauer had qualified for the ballot. Kim Reynolds, who also appointed four justices to the Iowa Supreme Court.
wftv.comFinkenauer's campaign was thrown into turmoil this week after a judge overturned a panel's decision that she had qualified for the ballot. Two Republicans who have served as county election officials in Iowa challenged several signatures on Finkenauer’s nomination petitions. They claimed that three signatures out of the 5,000 obtained by Finkenauer's campaign were not properly dated, as required by state law. Although Republicans have previously benefited from the substantial compliance standard, Iowa Republican Party Chair Jeff Kauffman put all the blame on Finkenauer. Since then, Franken has kept pace with Finkenauer’s fundraising, taking in $1.8 million, just behind Finkenauer’s $1.9 million.
wftv.comElection 2022 Iowa Senate FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2020 file photo, Abby Finkenauer talks with journalists at the Linn County Democrats' office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A state court judge has concluded that Democrat Abby Finkenauer cannot appear on the June 7 primary ballot for U.S. Senate, knocking off the candidate considered by many to be the party's leader in the effort to challenge U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley. Finkenauer said her petitions had more than 5,000 signatures and she’s confident she has met the requirements to be on the ballot. The primary winner will face Grassley, who is seeking an eighth term in the Senate. Republican state Sen. Jim Carlin, who will be on the Republican primary ballot opposite Grassley, raised $282,151.
wftv.comElection 2022 Iowa Senate FILE - In this Nov. 3, 2020 file photo, Abby Finkenauer talks with journalists at the Linn County Democrats' office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A state court judge has concluded that Democrat Abby Finkenauer cannot appear on the June 7 primary ballot for U.S. Senate, knocking off the candidate considered by many to be the party's leader in the effort to challenge U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley. The panel concluded last week that Finkenauer's campaign staffers had substantially complied with Iowa law that requires candidates to obtain 3,500 names, including at least 100 signatures from at least 19 counties. Finkenauer said her petitions had more than 5,000 signatures and she’s confident she has met the requirements to be on the ballot. Beattie promised last week he would file a decision by midnight Sunday to give either side time to appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court.
wftv.comA state court judge has concluded that Democrat Abby Finkenauer cannot appear on the June 7 primary ballot for U.S. Senate because she didn’t gather enough petition signatures, knocking off the candidate considered by many to be the party’s best chance to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley.
A state court judge has concluded that Democrat Abby Finkenauer cannot appear on the June 7 primary ballot for U.S. Senate, knocking off the candidate considered by many to be the party's best chance to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley. Judge Scott Beattie, a 2018 appointee of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, filed a ruling late Sunday that overturned a decision by a three-member panel of state elected officials. The panel concluded last week that Finkenauer's campaign staffers had substantially complied with Iowa law that requires candidates to obtain 3,500 names, including at least 100 signatures from at least 19 counties.
news.yahoo.comDemocrat Abby Finkenauer, a former congresswoman, is running for Republican Chuck Grassley's U.S. Senate seat, hoping her blue-collar credentials will propel her forward in a state that has grown more conservative over the years. The 32-year-old former state lawmaker, who announced her candidacy by video Thursday morning, would offer a stark contrast to the 87-year-old Grassley, who was elected to his first term in the Senate eight years before Finkenauer was born. “I’m running ... to make sure that Iowans and, quite frankly, our country has someone sitting in the United States Senate representing them and working for them every day who actually understand working families,” Finkenauer told The Associated Press in an interview before the video release.
news.yahoo.comPresident-elect Joe Biden is eyeing several Democrats who lost congressional reelection races last month for key positions in his administration. President-elect Joe Biden is eyeing several Democrats who lost congressional reelection races last month for key positions in his administration. Their consideration continues a long Washington tradition of defeated politicians seeking shelter in a new White House. A decade later, he headlined a rally for her winning congressional campaign. “More than helping the president, these people can help the White House staff dealing with members of Congress,” said Card.
"It's the Trump factor," Nearmyer said about how Democrats lost House seats. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)MONROE, Iowa – This swath of southeast Iowa isn't supposed to be a nailbiter for Democrats. Instead, it appears Democrats made a serious miscalculation in assuming their antipathy toward Trump would fuel victories across the country. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which supports the party's House candidates, is beginning a “deep dive” examination into what happened. Voters for months watched Republican ads featuring unrest with narrators ominously attacking Democrats as anti-police, often with little response.
Biden voters overwhelming say they want the federal government to prioritize limiting the spread of the virus, even if that means further damage to the economy. About half of Trump voters also called the economy and jobs the top issue facing the nation, while only 1 in 10 Biden voters named it most important. On race and justice issues, Biden voters almost universally said racism is a serious problem in U.S. society and in policing. But only a slim majority of Trump voters, who are overwhelming white, called racism a serious problem. Results in high-turnout counties underscore that trend: Republican-leaning places became more Republican and Democratic areas more Democratic.
Biden voters overwhelming say they want the federal government to prioritize limiting the spread of the virus, even if that means further damage to the economy. About half of Trump voters also called the economy and jobs the top issue facing the nation, while only 1 in 10 Biden voters named it most important. On race and justice issues, Biden voters almost universally said racism is a serious problem in U.S. society and in policing. But only a slim majority of Trump voters, who are overwhelming white, called racism a serious problem. Results in high-turnout counties underscore that trend: Republican-leaning places became more Republican and Democratic areas more Democratic.
With the race unsettled in several key battlegrounds, Trump's strong Election Day surge may not be enough to overcome a Democratic operation that also turned out its vote. But the tight presidential races and unexpected Democratic losses in congressional races demonstrated the resilient power of Trump’s appeal with rural, white voters and a growing polarization that may outlast his leadership. “But in this election we found it’s not ticking fast enough for the Democrats.”Even as the winner of the White House was unclear, Republicans had victories to celebrate Wednesday and white, rural voters to thank. Trump held one of his final, largest campaign rallies in Butler, drawing an estimated 54,000 people two days before Election Day. State Republicans spent months signing up new GOP registrants in the county — the GOP netted 11,000 voters over Democrats since Trump's 2016 election.
“They were all wrong," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters about Democrats' assumptions of adding to their House numbers. She declared that Democrats had won the House majority, which seemed highly likely but hadn’t been officially determined by The Associated Press. Democrats lost a majority Hispanic district in West Texas they expected to win after the GOP incumbent retired. In a district between Austin and San Antonio, freshman GOP Rep. Chip Roy withstood a challenge from Democrat Wendy Davis. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and the three other members of the so-called squad of young progressive women of color were easily reelected.
FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2019 file photo, Rep Abigail Spanberger D-Va., left, and Rep Elaine Luria. D-Va., walk at the Capitol in Washington. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has decided to endorse 23 freshmen House Democrats in this falls elections. The move represents a gesture of bipartisanship by the nation's largest business organization, which has long leaned strongly toward Republicans. Scott Applewhite)
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has decided to endorse 23 freshmen House Democrats in this falls elections. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has decided to endorse 23 freshmen House Democrats in this fall's elections, a bipartisan move by an organization that has long leaned strongly toward Republicans. The country's largest business group is also endorsing 29 freshmen House Republicans, said a person familiar with the organization's decision who described the actions. Even so, the decision has prompted internal divisions, with some state chamber officials criticizing the national group's decision to back freshmen Democrats in their areas. Chad Warmington, president of the Oklahoma state chamber, opposed the expected endorsement of Horn, who was narrowly elected in 2018 to a district centered on Oklahoma City.
More Republican women than ever are seeking House seats this year after the 2018 election further diminished their limited ranks in Congress. The next test comes Tuesday in states such as Indiana, where Republican Rep. Susan Brooks one of 13 Republican women in the House is retiring. Republican women have always had a tougher time winning office. Groups that back GOP women have nowhere near the resources of organizations such as EMILYs List, which has existed much longer and has been a game changer for Democratic women. Hinson is running in the district represented by Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer, who is seeking a second term, and Miller-Meeks is seeking a seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack.
Citing its direct payments for immigrant workers in the U.S. illegally and other asinine provisions, the House Republican campaign arm all but promised attack ads. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll this month found 61% of suburban voters disapprove of Trump, little changed over three years. Garcia represents a nod toward diversity for the overwhelmingly white House GOP. Republicans have sought more female candidates, too, hoping to improve an embarrassing look: Just 13 of the 198 House Republicans are women, and two are retiring. All 53 remaining House Democrats in seats the GOP targeted last year, mostly from Trump-won districts and freshmen, have outraised their Republican challengers.
