Iowa Senate Race Update: Joni Ernst
One of the biggest challenges of preserving the GOP's Senate majority is overcoming the Democrats' financial advantage. Not that Republican candidates haven't worked hard and raised impressive sums, but the Democrat money machine, powered by liberals on the East and West Coasts, has shattered all previous fundraising records.
Take the Senate race in Iowa, which now appears quite likely to be decisive in determining which party controls the Senate next year. As of the beginning of October, incumbent Republican Joni Ernst had raised $21 million for the race, but her opponent Theresa Greenfield raised $40 million.
But while Greenfield is a political novice who has often looked overwhelmed in the spotlight, Senator Ernst is literally a battle-hardened veteran. She served our nation in uniform for more than 23 years as a member of the Army Reserves and the Iowa National Guard - including time spent deployed in the Middle East during the second Iraq War. She's brought the same work ethic to her Senate service - visiting with constituents in all 99 of Iowa's counties every year and delivering in Washington for the state's critical farming sector. For Jewish Iowans and pro-Israel Christians, it matters that Senator Ernst stands out as one of the most reliable pro-Israel leaders in the Senate, most recently illustrated by her signing on to Senator Ted Cruz's June 23 letter to President [Donald] Trump supporting Israel's right to apply sovereignty in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan River Valley. (Greenfield, like all the Democrats' Senate candidates, marches in lockstep with J Street.)
The old saying that “money is the mother's milk of politics” still holds true, and it is essential that all of us continue to dig deep to support our candidates during the final days of the 2020 campaign. But my confidence that the GOP will retain its majority in the Senate is because of another political truth: candidate quality matters. And in Iowa - and across the map - Republican candidates simply outclass what the opposition is offering.
The RJC PAC has endorsed Joni Ernst. You can help her win by clicking here to support her campaign.
Please watch this space for more in-depth analysis on individual races in the critical 2020 elections. If you’d like to share your thoughts with me on any of these races, please email me at [email protected]. Click here to see previous "Notes from Norm."