DES MOINES, Iowa (CN) — If the number of candidates competing in a primary contest is a sign of trouble for an incumbent politician, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst and Congressman Steve King should be looking nervously over their shoulders.
Ernst, a Republican, is seeking a second term after winning Iowa’s Senate seat long held by Democrat Tom Harkin six years ago. The military veteran and former state senator known for her Harley-Davidson caravan fundraisers and comparison of castrating pigs to cutting wasteful spending might have seemed invincible just a few months ago.
But many voters seem to be having second thoughts, according to a March poll by the Des Moines Register and Mediacom that showed her approval rating slipping 10 points, to 47%. And four Democratic candidates are competing in Iowa’s June 2 primary for the opportunity to run against her in November.
Nationally, the Democratic Party hopes to capitalize on Ernst’s perceived vulnerability to recapture the U.S. Senate in November.
In northwest Iowa’s sprawling 4th Congressional District, which is dominated by Republicans, nine-term Congressman Steve King faces the toughest fight of his political career with four Republicans seeking to knock him out of the race next week. King’s base has been unwavering historically. But this year is different after his racially charged comments attacking immigrants and supporting white supremacists caught up with him in the House, where leaders stripped him of all committee assignments.
Besides Ernst and King, personnel changes are possible elsewhere in Iowa’s congressional delegation.
Four Republicans are competing for the party’s nomination in the 2nd Congressional District for the seat vacated with the retirement of Democrat Dave Loebsack after seven terms. And four Republicans are competing to run against Democrats in the 1st and 3rd Districts, both of whom will be defending seats wrested away from Republicans in 2018.
Among the Democrats vying to take on Ernst, Theresa Greenfield has captured most of the attention and money. She has key Democratic endorsements from state legislators, a raft of labor organizations, Emily’s List and the national Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. She had raised more than $7 million as of May 13, four times as much as her nearest primary competitor.
Greenfield’s support for labor, farmers and families reflects her biography: She grew up on a Minnesota farm and found herself a widow at age 24, with a toddler and second child on the way, when her husband was killed in a workplace accident. Today she works with her second husband in a marketing and communications company in Des Moines.
She faces a strong field of Democratic competitors, however.
Eddie Mauro, a Des Moines insurance company owner, is making his second bid for a seat in Congress, and he is the second-highest fundraiser in this primary with endorsements from a collection of minority leaders, including three African American state legislators.
Michael Franken, a retired U.S. Navy admiral, has been endorsed by the Des Moines Register and 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning Storm Lake Times. Franken spent more than 36 years in the U.S. Navy where his duties included commanding a squadron of ships and serving as the Navy’s chief of legislative affairs.
Des Moines lawyer Kimberly Graham has campaigned on family and economic-justice issues dear to the hearts of Bernie Sanders supporters, but she has not gained much traction in this campaign.
“Greenfield is clearly the establishment candidate, and the only one with significant money,” said Dennis Goldford, political science professor at Drake University. “Mauro is the only one going after her on TV in debates and ads, while Women Vote is going after Franken, and Graham seems not to have any money at all.”