IA-SEN 2020: Ernst megathread

[EastAnglianLefty]

Can someone explain to me why the DSCC is supporting Greenfield of all people?

She was well liked by Des Moines Democrats, and I believe the Iowa Dems wanted to line up behind her in 2018 when she was running for IA-3, before she had to drop out (her campaign manager at the time forged signatures on her nomination papers; that man was fired but she didn't have enough legitimate signatures to get onto the primary ballot).

This, coupled with the DSCC's focus on women candidates, elevated her campaign early and led the DSCC to line up behind her

Do you think the signature forging could be used against her in the General Election?

It seems unlikely. She was the one who brought the issue of the forgeries to light and immediately fired the individual responsible, so it's hard to see how she could be blamed for it.

[EastAnglianLefty]

Is there a particular reason that Ernst has been cratering in the polls lately? I actually had this as a borderline Safe R race until recently.

The polls (and Ernst's approvals) have been middling for a while now. It's just been discounted because polling has been pretty spread out and because of an assumption Iowa is borderline safe R.