This is a home stretch for Iowa primary candidates, and those competing in the Democratic primary have the best chance of winning the US Senate in November using the last few days on the campaign trail. I emphasize to voters why it is.
Iowa’s Democratic primary candidates argued that it wasn’t just a policy point, but a life experience that voters who cast ballots in the June 7 primary care about.
For former MP Abbey Finke Nower, it’s a young woman. For retired Admiral Michael Franken, 64, it’s his military service. For city council member Glenn Hurst, 52, it’s his time as a healthcare provider in the countryside of Iowa. All three candidates say they have lived their lives and are best suited to understanding and addressing the current problems of the United States in Washington, DC.
Finke Nower, 33, talked about her own campaign trail in this race to talk about access to abortion.
“That’s why someone who is a childbearing age woman in the US Senate in 2023 and who actually has a personal stake in it needs to stand on the floor,” she said. May Iowa Press debate. “It’s ridiculous that there is no more voice on that floor right now.”
Following the Roe v. Wade case in May, Democrats across the country updated their push to codify the right to abortion. In the previous election cycle, when abortion was in the limelight nationwide, more women were successful in the primary, said democratic strategist Jeff Link.
The Democratic candidate Patty Judge’s campaign opposed Senator Chuck Grassley’s vote against Attorney General Merrick Garland as a candidate for the Supreme Court in 2016. Roxanne Conlin, who ran for 2010, upheld the “choice” of the campaign.
“If people have very little information about each candidate, I think it’s a big advantage to be a woman in the Democratic Primary of the whole state,” Link said.
All three candidates support the right to abortion. Hurst, a health care provider in Minden, said he is working on this issue as a healthcare provider. He said he helped guide women as patients through the process of considering and finding abortion services, shaping the approach to access to abortion and supporting health policies such as Medicare for All.
“I very much think this is a matter of the role the federal government should play in medical decisions. This is a stepping stone,” he said. “Only those who have access to the free advice of their healthcare provider need to make this choice.”
Personal experience is not the only important factor. In the trajectory of the campaign, candidates also emphasize their political authenticity.
The war between Russia and Ukraine shows the benefits of having someone with military experience in the office, said Franken’s political director, Russ Smith. After serving for 39 years, Franken retired as Lieutenant General of the Navy and worked with US Senator Ted Kennedy in Washington as a legislative liaison.
“We have candidates to bring a global experience,” Smith said. “We have candidates who are ready for the first day, have global experience in being there, and know how we can become better allies and provide better humanitarian relief. increase.”
In the discussion of KCRGFranken was the only candidate who said he would support sending US troops to support Ukraine. If Russian President Vladimir Putin used nuclear weapons, he said he would support US military involvement.
“It’s a red line,” he said. “We have to move forward. We can’t let a large number of people ever use weapons of mass destruction and democracy and end without a retort.”
Franken has military experience and Hurst is a member of the Minden City Council, but Finkenauer’s campaign is that she is the only candidate to hold a federal position in the race as a former District 1 Congressman. Is emphasized.
Finke Nauer said both his tenure and his experience in the Iowa Democratic campaign would give him an edge in the general election.
“Every time I participated in the vote as a federal Democrat, we got more votes than the Democrats above us who had more money. That’s where we are here. Thanks to the coalition of voters gathering, “she said. In the discussion in May.
It’s a highly competitive race. Franken raised more than $ 1 million and Finke Nower raised more than $ 600,000 as of mid-May, according to a recent election funding report.
But getting the primary is only the first step. Tuesday’s winners will take on Republican candidates in the general election: US Senator Charles Ernest Grassley or Iowa Senator Jim Carlin, R-Sioux City.
Attempting to replace Grassley is not enough to make a successful democratic campaign in Iowa, according to strategist Link. Whichever candidate wins in Primary, he must be prepared to present voters with a good argument on behalf of the Senator, who has held a seat for more than 40 years.
“For everyone to succeed, attacking someone by getting older in Iowa never really works. Attacking their height doesn’t really work,” he says. I did. “You need to have a reason to replace someone who has been there for a really long time.”
