To run a successful statewide campaign, candidates need time, a deep network of contacts, and these days, a lot of money. Incumbents often are at a financial advantage when running for re-election — Republican Joni Ernst raised more than $1.1 million in the second...
Pharmaceutical PACs Pour $28k Into Joni Ernst’s Re-Election Race
Sen. Joni Ernst brought in a number of high-dollar donations in the second quarter of fundraising for her re-election campaign, including about $28,000 from pharmaceutical companies. Ernst, nearing the end of her first six-year term in the Senate, officially launched...
Shake Ups In Iowa’s Federal Races After New Financial Reports
With this week's 2nd quarter campaign finance reports out, we now have a clearer look at where Iowa's federal races stand. Some potential candidates have seen what they'd be up against and decided against a run. Others have added their names to a 2020 primary. Here's...
Iowa Moms Pack Joni Ernst’s Office To Protest Migrant Detention Centers
Dozens of women and children packed Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst's office in Des Moines for several hours over the last two days to protest squalid conditions at immigration detention centers along the U.S.-Mexico border. The group arrived Tuesday at the Federal Building...
Iowa Voices Launches Six-Figure Ad Buy Hitting Joni Ernst On Health Care
A new grassroots organization in Iowa launched its first advertisement this morning targeting Republican Sen. Joni Ernst and her mixed voting record on health care. Iowa Voices invested in the six-figure ad buy, airing in media markets across the state, to show Iowans...
Eddie Mauro: Path To Senate Majority “Is Coming Through Iowa”
Senate candidate Eddie Mauro visited an unlikely town Tuesday afternoon as part of his promise to "meet people where they're at" as he campaigns for the Democratic nomination. Wapello, a Southeast Iowa community in Louisa County that's alongside the Mississippi River,...
“Vitally Important”? Joni Ernst’s ACA Votes Contradict Pre-Existing Conditions Message
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst told constituents Monday in Clinton County it was "vitally important" insurance companies provide coverage for Americans with pre-existing health conditions. The discussion spun off of concerns from a woman at the Clinton Middle School town hall...
Iowa Super PAC Launches Voter Outreach Efforts To Help Joni Ernst
A new cog in the fundraising machine for Sen. Joni Ernst launched its voter outreach campaign this week with a digital advertising blitz and door-to-door canvassing. The Iowa Values Super PAC said in a press release Thursday it "invested six-figures in a digital...
Michael Franken, Retired Admiral From NW Iowa, Considering Ernst Challenge
A fourth Democrat told Starting Line Wednesday he is considering a run against Sen. Joni Ernst, in a field still taking shape to defeat the incumbent Republican. Retired Navy Admiral Michael Franken, originally of Sioux Center, a town deep in conservative Northwest...
Internet Mocks Joni Ernst’s Socialism Claim
The Twitter-verse has not taken kindly to Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst's rallying cry that socialists soon will take over Iowa and the United States if they're not stopped by Republican voters. Fear of the "radical left" was a central theme of her 2020 campaign kick-off...