I wish I’d been at the meeting where this was decided. Remember Rep Steven King (R-IA) and his ridiculous views?
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the largest business lobbying group in the country, is endorsing state Sen. Randy Feenstra for the Republican congressional primary nomination against U.S. Rep. Steve King.
Feenstra, of Hull, is one of four Republicans challenging King in Iowa’s June 2 primary. King, of Kiron, has represented northwest Iowa in Congress since 2002.
“In difficult times, we are reminded of the importance of having effective leaders that understand the genius of the American system of government. As the architect of Iowa’s largest income tax cut, Randy Feenstra has shown his willingness to tackle hard issues to help his fellow Iowans,” U.S. Chamber CEO Thomas J. Donohue said in a statement to the Des Moines Register. “As we take on this pandemic, we need strong advocates in Congress, like Randy, who will be a champion for all Americans, and especially those in Iowa’s agribusiness community. The U.S. Chamber is proud to lend its endorsement to Randy Feenstra and looks forward to partnering with him in the future.” [Des Moines Register]
But are they only worried that they have the wrong Representative in place – or about potentially worse results?
King is not only a Congressional representative, but also a representative of the GOP brand, and as much as he may be popular in the northwestern quadrant of Iowa – and, having been through that part of Iowa during election season, I can testify that at least the cornfields love him – his unfortunate remarks in the vein of white supremacy may blemish the brand.
Worse yet, all four of the Congressional house seats in Iowa, after the Presidential election and the Iowa Senate seat, constitute the most important races in the Iowa. That means for many voters they’ll be looking at the top of the ballot and asking themselves if they really want to vote for Trump, Ernst, King – and then all the downballot Republicans as well, from the Iowa statehouse to the local races.
If King is on the ballot, those voters in IA-4 may decide to punish the GOP by voting against their candidates right down the ballot.
That may be the concern of the Chamber of Commerce and the Iowa GOP. Will the fields of IA-4 be blue or red in November?
