IA-SEN 2020: Ernst megathread

[Free Bird]

Hate to be that guy but does she become Senator Culver AKA "Ms. Culver" in the rollcall? How's that work?

[Free Bird]

It depends on if she wants to keep her married name.

I doubt she wants to

[Free Bird]

I still don't think most voters will remember this by November 2020. Also, if Scholten doesn't run, I hope State Auditor Rob Sand does.

Can we please put a moratorium on candidate speculation until she resolves and overcomes her personal issues? I don't even think she may run for another term. The farthest I'll go is this: the IA GOP could probably easily call Branstad back from China in an emergency for a one-term deal if need be, giving Joni a sabbatical so to speak until Grassley retires (should she want to make a comeback then).

[Free Bird]

The husband is retaliating with claims of infidelity on the part of Joni:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6619997/Husband-Iowa-Senator-Joni-Ernst-claims-affair-soldier.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailus

Obviously if she had infidelity that's very bad and her fault but this complaint from her husband sounds ridiculous:

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It's his wife. As long as no one else was present, why is he complaining? Not that I have a desire to see Joni Ernst naked of course, but he is married to her.

I presume both are born again evangelicals so I guess is a big thing also would explain the husband not being supportive of her political career. Evangelicals are big on the whole women being at home concept.

Let me ask you this- how many Evangelicals do you know?  I go to an Evangelical church and hang out in Evangelical circles and have never once heard this expectation.

Tbqh, the only Evangelicals I know (it's New England after all) are the neighbor family. The wife is staying with the husband as he continues to serve out his term at a federal prison for child pornography distribution (out in March). Her parents even paid for his lawyer and pressured her not to leave him.

LMAO there's literally one Evangelical family in my town. They homeschooled their kids sans a couple of high school classes, named their youngest kid Abraham, you never see any skin from them besides their necks, heads, and wrists in public, the whole works. Needless to say, in my town, that's casually Catholic at most, they come across as total aliens.

[Free Bird]

And it's, say, August 2019 or thereabout. Ernst withdraws her reelection bid to properly deal with her divorce and the grief surrounding it. She strongly suggests that she'll probably run for Grassley's seat in 2022 when he likely retires, but she just needs a break. So, you have carte blanche to nominate whoever you want as an emergency substitute without worrying about damaging the 2022 bench.

Who do you nominate as this emergency substitute? I'd immediately try and call Branstad back from China personally. Yes, he'd be a one-termer most likely but hopefully by 2026, there's a non-Steve King Congressman that can step up to the plate as a strong candidate in what is likely to be a Republican year anyway.