IA-Sen: Bruce Braley criticizes Grassley as ‘a farmer from Iowa’

[windjammer]

So I guess there is a Ron Paul candidate? I haven't followed Iowa at all. Ernst is the establishment nominee?

[RogueBeaver]

Ernst or Jacobs would be establishment-acceptable, but Ernst is Branstad's candidate. Whitaker's the Paulite.

[windjammer]

So no crazy Ron Paul candidate?

[Miles]

Palin is going to IA for Ernst.

[SWE]

Palin is going to IA for Ernst.

RIP Ernst chances in this race

[Miles]

'Big endorsement from Ernst from the SCF.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I hope Whittaker or Jacobs can pull it out in the primary.  Ernst is just awful.

[RogueBeaver]

She's a decent B-lister. Certainly not "awful." Only Pub who could've won this is Latham IMO.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Any candidate willing to showcase herself castrating pigs can't be all bad.

[LeBron]

She's also an IRS conspiratist and for her, the Branstad backing certainly won't help anymore in getting a few crossover votes given that he's scandal-plagued now. To give her some benefit of the doubt though, her website doesn't even mention the Palin or Romney endorsements and only those of state legislators. Reynolds or Latham could have made this seat competitive, but with Jacobs self-funding and Ernst's party support and help from individual donors, it could be close in the primary, but either way, one thinks women only care about emotions in a candidate while the other is proud of castrating hogs. This seat will be safe for Braley in due time.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Any candidate willing to showcase herself castrating pigs can't be all bad.

Castrating pigs could actually prove to be an extremely useful skill to master when you are a woman in a sector filled with creepy old guys.

[Miles]

Braley is out with his first general election ad, which features Ernst's pig ad.

[Tender Branson]

Joni Ernst creeps the fu** out of me.

Anyone else thinks the same ?

[Morning in Atlas]

Is Ernst THAT bad? She's supposed to he Branstad's preferred candidate I think.

Yep.

[Never]

She's a decent B-lister. Certainly not "awful." Only Pub who could've won this is Latham IMO.

Joni Ernst seems like an analogue to Chuck Grassley. They are both strong conservatives  who had to take down someone who seemed like the establishment candidate. This race probably tilts in Braley's favor, but I think Ernst can still win this if she plays her cards right.

At best, Latham would probably be tied with Braley or behind by a point, meaning the dynamics of this race might look more like those in Colorado.

[Gass3268]

She's a decent B-lister. Certainly not "awful." Only Pub who could've won this is Latham IMO.

Joni Ernst seems like an analogue to Chuck Grassley. They are both strong conservatives  who had to take down someone who seemed like the establishment candidate. This race probably tilts in Braley's favor, but I think Ernst can still win this if she plays her cards right.

At best, Latham would probably be tied with Braley or behind by a point, meaning the dynamics of this race might look more like those in Colorado.

A better analogue is the Sara Palin of Iowa.

[Never]

Here's a Des-Moines Register write-up of how the race looks now that the primaries are over.

[Maxwell]

Joni Ernst creeps the fu** out of me.

Anyone else thinks the same ?

I do too. she has a crazy stare, and she pauses oddly. I can't shake it.

[Never]

She's a decent B-lister. Certainly not "awful." Only Pub who could've won this is Latham IMO.

Joni Ernst seems like an analogue to Chuck Grassley. They are both strong conservatives  who had to take down someone who seemed like the establishment candidate. This race probably tilts in Braley's favor, but I think Ernst can still win this if she plays her cards right.

At best, Latham would probably be tied with Braley or behind by a point, meaning the dynamics of this race might look more like those in Colorado.

A better analogue is the Sara Palin of Iowa.

It's Sarah with an "h", and Ernst seems more qualified than Palin. Although Ernst is playing up her farming roots, she is also the commander of the largest battlion in the Iowa National Guard. That is a serious job. People don't get promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in the Army without proving themselves.

[Flake]

She's a decent B-lister. Certainly not "awful." Only Pub who could've won this is Latham IMO.

Joni Ernst seems like an analogue to Chuck Grassley. They are both strong conservatives  who had to take down someone who seemed like the establishment candidate. This race probably tilts in Braley's favor, but I think Ernst can still win this if she plays her cards right.

At best, Latham would probably be tied with Braley or behind by a point, meaning the dynamics of this race might look more like those in Colorado.

A better analogue is the Sara Palin of Iowa.

It's Sarah with an "h", and Ernst seems more qualified than Palin. Although Ernst is playing up her farming roots, she is also the commander of the largest battlion in the Iowa National Guard. That is a serious job. People don't get promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in the Army without proving themselves.

It's battalion with an "a" and I'm pretty sure he means that Ernst has very similar positions to Sara Palin.

[LeBron]

Apparently besides supporting a Personhood Amendment that prohibits abortion in all cases and supporting a Federal Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment, I found out Ernst also backs abolishing the Dept. of Education, still believes Iraq had WMDs in hand (and then took it back), and then her moment on the debate stage involving her offensive UCSB comments.

Yeah....so given the fact that she certainly qualifies as a gaffer, the fact that she's a woman and has establishment/Tea Party support won't be able to get her across the finish line. IA and MI could have been made competitive, but putting up female GOP nominees is only a small baby step for the party. Being awful, far-right conservatives automatically cancels out that woman advantage in these 2 races and really, Ernst and Land are treating these races as if they'll be cakewalks for them against Braley and Peters. Both IA and MI are somewhere in between lean D and likely D at this point.

[Never]

Apparently besides supporting a Personhood Amendment that prohibits abortion in all cases and supporting a Federal Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment, I found out Ernst also backs abolishing the Dept. of Education, still believes Iraq had WMDs in hand (and then took it back), and then her moment on the debate stage involving her offensive UCSB comments.

Yeah....so given the fact that she certainly qualifies as a gaffer, the fact that she's a woman and has establishment/Tea Party support won't be able to get her across the finish line. IA and MI could have been made competitive, but putting up female GOP nominees is only a small baby step for the party. Being awful, far-right conservatives automatically cancels out that woman advantage in these 2 races and really, Ernst and Land are treating these races as if they'll be cakewalks for them against Braley and Peters. Both IA and MI are somewhere in between lean D and likely D at this point.

I don't see the problem with abolishing the Dept. of Education. Neither did Reagan and the Republican Party as a whole until 1996 or so. Granted, you probably think that the majority of Republicans are extremists anyway. Education is not outlined in the Constitution as a specific responsibility of the federal government, and based on that, Ernst is on solid ground in arguing that the department should cease operation.

Nevertheless, most of the races this year seem like they will be decided on fiscal rather than social issues, which should benefit Ernst. Braley hasn't been without his share of  gaffes either.

Based on how so many people here are writing off Ernst's chances, I could see a lot of people with egg on their face in November. She already overperformed in the primaries, she is one of the few Republican candidates of this cycle who has proven that she can straddle the line between the establishment and the Tea Party, but most importantly, it seems like she is a feisty, hardworking campaigner. Contrary to what you wrote, I don't believe that she is treating her campaign like it will be a cakewalk.

[Miles]

The Washington Times highlights Ernst in write-up.

[Tender Branson]

What an elitist idiot.

Republicans will play this thing 24/7 until the election.

Another competetive race, because Braley's favorables will drop and the eventual Republican candidate will become better known over the next months.

The Republican outside-groups will do the rest to make it competetive.

You guys are delusional if you think this comment will make the race competitive. It's March and no one is paying attention. As someone said, there are more lawyers than farmers in Iowa and every urban dweller secretly likes these comments because it sticks it to the rurals.

Let's hope then that I won't have to bring up your quote again in Aug./Sep./Oct. ...

The next polls will show what impact it had. But I stick with it: This race could become highly competetive over the summer.

Sry, but I have to bring it up much earlier than I thought:

IA is now projected to be an R pickup:

https://uselectionatlas.org/POLLS/SENATE/2014/polls.php

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

O/c none of those are by credible firms, but there you go