Democrats and progressive activists have often referred to their fight against Donald Trump and Republicans as “The Resistance,” so perhaps it was fitting that Iowa’s Nate Boulton announced his run for governor on Star Wars Day. May 4th is used by many around the world as a day of celebration for the films (a play on “May the 4th be with you”).
Whether Boulton’s timing was simply coincidental is unclear, though his campaign manager seemed to hint at it last night.
Can you feel it…There has been an awakening #RESISTANCE #iapolitics pic.twitter.com/lmtnQCiJQP
— Joseph O'Hern (@JosephOHern) May 3, 2017
Boulton does pitch himself as the state’s resistance leader in his high-energy announcement video.
Iowa Democrats have certainly felt like their state has come under occupation from an evil empire since Republicans took full control of state government this year. A sweeping far-right agenda was passed in the Legislature that gutted workers’ bargaining rights, repealed local minimum wage increases, curtailed voting rights, added restrictions to abortion access and slashed mental health funding.
Boulton’s lead role in the Iowa Senate on the collective bargaining battle brought him to this point. A state senator representing Des Moines, he was only first elected in 2016 and is 36 years old. But his impassioned speeches and leadership style quickly impressed his fellow legislators and activists across the state. He’s now considered one of the top contenders in Democrats’ large primary field.
Democrats are eager to take on Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds in 2018. She will take over the state’s top job in a few weeks, once Governor Terry Branstad’s appointment to be ambassador to China is complete.
To help commemorate Boulton’s campaign launch on Star Wars Day, Starting Line decided to whip up a fun video on the race:
Read more on Boulton’s announcement here, the profile we wrote on him here, and check out his new campaign website here.
by Pat Rynard
Posted 5/4/17
