Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker looks to rally Iowa Democrats at Steak Fry
Pritzker tells Iowa Democrats “it’s time for a change” at the Steak Fry, urging voters to flip GOP-held seats. Can Iowa be a purple state again?
Buoyed by a wave of enthusiasm since Vice President Kamala Harris took over the top of the Democratic ticket, local officials on Saturday asked the party’s faithful to vote up and down the ballot to make Iowa purple again.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a rising star in the Democratic Party, headlined the Polk County Democrats’ Steak Fry at Des Moines Water Works Park, which drew an estimated 500 guests. The event typically is used to boost down-ballot candidates in contested races such as Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District.
Pritzker told reporters before the event he was “very confident” Iowa voters can flip some of the state’s four congressional seats — all held by Republicans.
“Iowa is on the move toward Democrats, and in fact it’s because middle-class families are hurting under Republicans in Iowa, and so it’s time for a change from the state Legislature all the way to the congressional candidates,” Pritzker said.
Lanon Baccam, the Democrat running to unseat Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn in the3rd District, said Pritzker was in Des Moines because he knows that Iowa “has a chance to change directions.”
“People like him wouldn’t carve out a stop in Iowa if they didn’t believe that something was happening, if they didn’t believe in all of you showing up today, if they didn’t believe that we have an opportunity to win,” Baccam told the crowd.
More: Donald Trump vs. Kamala Harris: Our new Iowa Poll breaks down who voters prefer – and why
Kamala Harris’ debate performance fuels Democrats’ enthusiasm
On the heels of Harris’ aggressive debate performance Tuesday against former President Donald Trump, Pritzker chastised Trump for not answering the moderators’ questions and changing the subject “when he gets caught in his lies and called to account.”
“What’s the matter, Donald?” Pritzker asked. “Cat’s got your tongue?”
Pritzker said Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will fight for Americans’ rights to make a living wage, join a union, buy a house and “build a life where you can actually get ahead in this world.”
“That’s exactly what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are fighting for, and it’s what the American people want and what they’ll get when we elect Democrats in just 52 days,” Pritzker said.
He criticized Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and the GOP-controlled Iowa Legislature for underfunding education, blocking municipalities from raising the minimum wage and taking away “your freedom to choose if and when you want to start a family.”
More: Lawsuit over fatal Iowa crash where tow truck driver left scene ends in settlement
3rd Congressional District rated as contested
Democrats are hopeful they can flip the 3rd congressional seat, which Cook Political Report recently ranked as “lean Republican,” along with the 1st District race between Republican incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan.
“I’m talking to Iowans and I’m listening, and what I’m hearing is they are ready for change,” Baccam said. “They are fed up with the attack on freedoms, that women no longer have the right to make their own healthcare decisions.”
Pritzker said Nunn is “even more extreme than Kim Reynolds” and wants “all abortions to be illegal” with no exceptions.
Baccam’s campaign recently released an ad with footage from a 2022 primary debate where candidates were asked if they supported a full abortion ban with no exceptions. Nunn is shown raising his hand.
As a state legislator in 2018, Nunn voted for the six-week abortion ban, dubbed the “fetal heartbeat” law that prohibits most abortions after cardiac activity is detectable, which can occur as early as six weeks of gestation.
The 2018 law is similar to the ban that took effect in July. Both versions, including the one Nunn supported, make exceptions for cases of rape, incest and when the procedure was necessary to save the pregnant person’s life.
Nunn told the Des Moines Register in a candidate survey before the June primary election that he does not support a federal abortion ban.
Iowa Democrats look to rally down-ballot support
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart and other state elected officials urged voters to elect Democrats down-ballot to undo legislation enacted by a majority-Republican Iowa Legislature.
Iowa Democrats have raised money, put resources in place, built up staff and are now left with “one big opportunity and a lot of enthusiasm,” Hart said.
“We’ve had so much enthusiasm at the top of the ticket that we’re feeling lucky, but I want you to know that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity,” Hart said.
Iowa House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst said it’s important to elect Democrats running for federal office, but said they can’t restore funding to Iowa’s nine Area Education Agencies or eliminate state-funded education savings accounts.
Reynolds earlier this year signed into law a controversial bill that overhauls the funding structure and responsibilities of the AEAs, which have offered services such as special education, general education and media to school districts and students.
The law this year keeps 40% of the money the AEAs previously received for general education and media services with the AEAs, while the remaining 60% goes to school districts. Next year, all of the money — worth about $68 million — will go to schools.
“Vote for amazing candidates up and down the ticket and send a message to Republicans that they have gone too far and Iowans have had enough,” Konfrst said.
Is Iowa still a purple state?
Auditor Rob Sand, the only statewide elected Democrat, said Iowa Democrats have had some close elections in recent years, including 2020’s narrow losses in the old congressional district that spanned northeastern Iowa when Republican Ashley Hinson unseated Democratic incumbent Abby Finkenauer.
“As red as the establishment of the Republican Party is, this is still a purple state,” Sand said.
Shari Hawk, 74, a longtime Democratic volunteer from Ankeny who attended the steak fry, told the Register putting “people over politics” resonated with her.
“I think there’s an energy that goes from the national to local level,” Hawk said. “I think we’re all very optimistic. It doesn’t matter at what level. I think we’re all very optimistic that things are changing, that we’re on the verge of turning things around, and we’ve got to be on that ride.”
Steven Humphrey, 73, of Des Moines was less convinced Democrats could regain seats in state or congressional races.
Humphrey said he wants Democrats to win, but he was discouraged from continuing to donate to Iowa Democrats after he supported Mike Franken’s unsuccessful U.S. Senate bid in 2022 against Republican incumbent Chuck Grassley. He said he’s instead putting money toward Democrat Colin Allred, who’s running to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
Iowa “sure seems pretty red to me” rather than purple, he said.
“Democrats still don’t seem to get over the hump in this state,” Humphrey said. “… This year, I chose to not support them, because I think the national outcome is more important overall, and if I see better results this election, that may change my mind for how I support Democrats in 2026.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-14 12:49:00
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