OTTUMWA, Iowa — Less than a month remains in the countdown to election day, and as this presidential election has played out, it has certainly taken an untraditional turn.
For the first time in decades, Iowa Democrats did not hold the first in the nation caucuses.
Then in another twist, President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race just months before election day.
Discussing how Vice President Kamala Harris became the nominee, Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party Rita Hart told KTVO, “That is democracy in action. That was one man’s decision, but as a result of that, other people made selfless decisions as well, you know, and that’s where I think Democrats are excited about where we are because so many folks have had to recognize that we need to do this as a team.”
Iowa Democrats are hopeful that renewed enthusiasm for the Harris-Walz campaign will trickle down the ballot, loosening the GOP’s grip on the state legislature.
“They know that the Republicans have been in charge for ten years now and they are not liking the way the state is going,” Hart said of voters she has met with. “They recognize that Iowa has always been a purple state and that divided government often works in our favor. And so, they know that the way to get to more common sense, better legislation, is by electing a few Democrats here in this state.”
The party has known over the last few cycles they have lost some Democrats, Hart says, not to Republicans, but to “disillusionment.”
This election cycle, the IDP feels they have put forward candidates that Iowans can believe in and that will listen to their constituents.
Some candidates have stepped up because of their background in education and oppose the changes and cuts to the Iowa education system.
Hart explained, “They’re not happy about the voucher plan. They know that public education is not going in the right direction here in Iowa.”
Women’s reproductive freedom is another key issue for the campaigns.
“It is really reflective of the health care that exists here in Iowa, that as a result of this six-week abortion ban and the restrictive measures that the Republican legislature has taken, we are now dead last in OB-GYN’s per capita,” said Hart.
Congressional candidate Lanon Baccam (D-IA-03) previously told KTVO that he feels the surge that Hart is attributing to voters feeling encouraged by the Harris-Walz campaign.
On the campaign trail, Baccam said, “People are really excited about our race. Folks are really excited about the top of the ticket as well. People are getting engaged. They’re turning out, and we’re capturing all that energy and enthusiasm and turning it into action.”
KTVO has reached out to the Iowa GOP to discuss their strategy leading up to the election.
We have not yet heard back.
