Early yesterday morning, the Wall Street Journal ran a piece by Reid Epstein, GOP’s Tough Task in House Races: Reach Beyond Trump’s Base, pointing out that endangered Republicans must find supporters who will vote for them even though they disapprove of Señor Trumpanzee.
Yep, in Iowa tooThe good news Tuesday night was that Democrat Phil Miller beat Republican Travis Harris for a state House seat that includes Van Buren County, most of Jefferson County and a bit of Davis County (House District 82). The special election was called after Democrat Curt Hanson died in June. It's considered a swing district with 6,611 registered Republicans, 6,257 registered Democrats and 5,738 voters without partisan affiliation.
As we've been saying lately, Chuck Grassley's policy of naked and hyper-partisan obstructionism against President Obama's SCOTUS nominee has changed the dynamics of the Iowa Senate race. Once thought a safe seat, Iowa is now in play. Remember, Obama beat McCain there 54-44% and then beat Romney statewide 52-46%.
With hyper-partisan Republican obstructionism kicked up into full gear, several Senate incumbents who looked relatively safe, no longer are. Most Americans want the Republicans to go through the process of giving the president their advice and consent on his Supreme Court nomination rather than just declaring that they will not-- under any circumstances-- even consider anyone he nominates.
Patty and ChuckyThe DSCC deemed Iowa a lost cause this cycle, despite the fact that Obama won the state in 2008 (54-44%) and 2012 (52-46%). So they didn't both recruiting a candidate and just shrugged their shoulders and ignored the 3 progressives who jumped in, legislators Tom Fiegen, Rob Hogg and Bob Krause.
Iowa's senior U.S. senator, Chuck Grassley, has been in Congress since 1975. Before that he was a state rep for 15 years. He won his U.S. Senate seat in 1980, and if he wins in 2016 and serves out his full term he will be 88. He's had an honorable political career, and although no one likes to talk about it above a whisper, he slips into senility more and more frequently, often very publicly.
