Just days before the primary, US Rep. Randy Feenstra got a coveted endorsement from President Donald Trump. A leg-up for a campaign that has struggled to maintain its lead.
President Donald Trump endorsed US Rep. Randy Feenstra for governor of Iowa on Thursday, just days before the June 2 Republican primary.
“Randy is MAGA all the way!” Trump wrote in a May 29 Truth Social post, adding that Feenstra has his “Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of Iowa” and that “RANDY WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
The endorsement arrives at a critical moment for an embattled Feenstra. Trump joins a long list of establishment GOP endorsements from Iowa Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer, US Sen. Joni Ernst, US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and a list of state legislators, positioning himself as the establishment choice to succeed Gov. Kim Reynolds (R). Reynolds, who is not seeking reelection, told Radio Iowa that she will not be endorsing anyone ahead of the June primary.
Despite being the Republican Party’s heir apparent, Feenstra has struggled to comfortably consolidate support going into primary Election Day, particularly among some of the party’s grassroots. Early on, Feenstra drew political heat earlier this year for skipping a Moms for Liberty debate while in Des Moines the same day, drawing sharp rebukes from his primary opponents. Prominent conservative Bob Vander Plaats publicly declared that the only candidate who lost that night was Feenstra, gesturing to an empty podium. Feenstra has since avoided multi-candidate forums, has not agreed to any primary debates, and does not widely publicize information about his campaign events.
In February, several county Republican parties, including those in Linn and Scott counties, conducted unsanctioned straw polls at their precinct caucuses. In Scott County, Feenstra finished fourth with just 14.6 percent of the vote. A petition even circulated among Iowa Republicans begging Trump not to intervene ahead of the primary.
“Iowa Republicans deserve the opportunity to fully vet and choose our nominee through the democratic process without external influence tipping the scales prematurely,” the petition said.
Feenstra’s campaign strategy has left the lane open to his challengers. According to the most recent campaign finance report, Republican Zach Lahn raised $980,152 while Feenstra raised $739,059, between January 1 and May 14. According to one poll by JMC Analytics and Polling of the race conducted May 27 to 28, Feenstra’s lead also appears to have evaporated.
A candidate must earn at least 35% of the vote on June 2 to earn the party’s nomination. If no candidate hits the mark, the nomination will be decided by a group of delegates at a statewide convention.
Cook Political Report changed its rating of Iowa’s gubernatorial race to a “toss-up,” citing in part Feenstra’s apparent weakness with the Republican base. “What made President Trump’s margins in the state so large was that he had really strong support from the base,” Cook analyst Matthew Klein said. “And if Feenstra heads into a general election and he’s not able to replicate that, if he’s not able to match the enthusiasm that Trump had among Republicans, then it’s a huge problem for him.”
