Newsweek has a great piece out about the upcoming U.S. Senate race between incumbent U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R. IA) and businesswoman Theresa Greenfield (D. IA). It’s a great recap on the current state of the race and how crucial Iowa is to winning the U.S. Senate:
As the race between Ernst and Greenfield heats up, both parties are stepping in and investing heavily in the state—which underscores its political importance as the GOP seeks to defend its 53-47 majority in the Senate. Democrats need to flip at least four seats to regain control of the chamber, while Republicans have to defend far more territory: Of the 36 seats up for grabs in November, 23 are held by conservatives.
The Senate campaign committees for both parties and aligned super PACs have reserved a total of $35.6 million in airtime in Iowa ahead of the November election, according to Roll Call.
Nonpartisan election forecasters still rate the race as "leans Republican," and Ernst could see a boost because President Donald Trump, who easily won Iowa four years ago, will be at the top of the ticket. But there are signs the president's hold on the state is waning. While he won by 9 points in 2016, the most recent Register poll found him ahead of Joe Biden by just 1 percentage point.
Asked if she feels added pressure because Iowa has become a battleground for control of the Senate, Greenfield didn't seem too concerned.
"I don't think so," she said, laughing. She added that she intends to "take every bit of my scrappy farm girl to every county and township in an effort to flip this seat from red to blue."
"I'll tell you, if we win here in Iowa, we are going to win back the majority of the United States Senate, and that is incredibly important for our country right now," she said.
Let’s win big in Iowa this year. Click below to donate and get involved with Greenfield, Biden and their fellow Iowa Democrats campaigns:
Theresa Greenfield
Joe Biden
Abby Finkenauer
Cindy Axne
Rita Hart
JD Scholten