Category: IA-Senate

Yesterday was not a good day for America, to put it lightly. After President Donald Trump’s disastrous press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the country’s attention shifted to Republican lawmakers and leaders, wondering if this was finally the bridge too far. In Iowa, the reaction was either silence or light criticism. None suggested any follow-up measures that might actually hold the President accountable on Russia or change his behavior in any way. Senator Chuck Grassley grabbed some headlines by saying Trump “missed an opportunity to publicly press President Putin” on extraditions of the twelve Russians charged with hacking emails […]

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is a national darling of the NRA’s effort to eliminate any and all meaningful gun safety laws that might keep children like those at Parkland, Florida from getting blown to pieces on a regular school day. Ernst received over $3.1 million in financial support from the NRA, the seventh-most of any senator, according to an analysis of campaign spending last October. Money from the gun rights organization poured into Iowa to help her get past the finish line in her race for Senate against Bruce Braley in 2014. The NRA got what they paid for with […]

Senator Joni Ernst expressed her frustration at Donald Trump’s latest incendiary comments about not wanting immigration from certain “shithole countries,” but defended the President against accusations of racism today. The exchange came at one of her town hall forums held in Boone at the local high school this afternoon, with a crowd of just under 100 present. “Deep inside, no, I don’t think he’s a racist,” Ernst said. “I think he’s brash. I think he says things that are on his mind, but I don’t truly believe that he’s a racist.” Video of Joni Ernst on if Trump is a […]

Senator Chuck Grassley took to Twitter this morning to personally apologize to President Donald Trump about not being to be able to fight for his tax plan on the House-Senate conference committee. Iowa’s senior senator was apparently dropped from the committee that will draft the final legislation that gets sent to Trump’s desk. @realDonaldTrump I'm the most Senior member of Senate Finance Comm I was dropped as Conferee So I won't be in front line fighting for what u and I believe to cut taxes — ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) December 7, 2017 The move by Republicans to downgrade Grassley’s role in […]

Non-millionaire Iowans who clearly have wasted too much of their hard-earned money on booze, women and movies descended upon Chuck Grassley’s offices today to deliver empty bottles of alcohol to their esteemed senator. Actually, it was a protest organized by several progressive groups to express voters’ outrage over Grassley’s recent insulting comments aimed at working people. Iowa Citizen Action Network, the Main Street Alliance of Iowa and Americans for Democratic Action Iowa held rallies outside of the senator’s offices in Des Moines and Waterloo this afternoon. Attendees brought empty bottles of booze to mock Grassley’s quote on what the working class […]

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, who has led efforts to combat sexual assault in the military, sat quietly next to President Donald Trump today as he endorsed a man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. At a meeting in the White House were senators were discussing NAFTA trade policy with the President, Trump responded to questions about why he endorsed Roy Moore in the Alabama senate race. “I think he’s going to do very well,” Trump said of Moore. “We don’t want to have a liberal Democrat in Alabama, believe me. We want strong borders, we want stopping crime, we […]

After pretending for a brief moment in 2016 that the Republican Party stood for working people, the Republican-controlled Congress reverted back to trickle-down form on Friday when they passed a tax reform bill that overwhelmingly favored the rich. Not to be outdone, though, Senator Chuck Grassley made clear his disdain for those not benefiting under the new tax law. “I think not having the estate tax recognizes the people that are investing, as opposed to those that are just spending every darn penny they have, whether it’s on booze or women or movies,” Grassley told the Register in a story […]

Just under three years from now, Senator Joni Ernst will face the voters of Iowa again in 2020. If you had to make a bet, most at this point would guess Ernst cruises to a reelection victory. Many rank-and-file Democrats enjoy mocking her and can’t fathom why she’d be popular, but most serious people realize her political skills and how she’s positioned herself for the Iowa electorate. She’s also had no major scandals in her term, her national profile has continued to rise and she’s beloved by the Republican base. She’s taken plenty of unpopular votes, but Democratic campaigns have […]

Despite the national outrage over Senate Republicans’ healthcare bill, Senator Joni Ernst hasn’t suffered much fallout in her popularity numbers in Iowa, James Lynch of the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported yesterday. Looking at the Morning Consult Senate Approval Rankings that polls every senator, Ernst’s approval rating has remained steady at 47% from September 2016 to April of this year and now this July. Her disapproval number is actually down two points from April, though that’s within the margin of error. Most senators around the country have seen their approval rating drop during the contentious healthcare debate. This is a problem for […]