A new column from the Des Moines Register digs in on the warning signs for Governor Reynolds’ re-election campaign, highlighting critical vulnerabilities and why Iowans are looking for new leadership in 2018:
“[Reynolds and Branstad’s] tax policies drilled a hole in the bottom of the state revenue bucket, forcing painful and unpopular budget cuts at a time of overall economic growth. Medicaid is a mess. The mental health system has gaping holes in accessible services.”
Columnist Kathie Obradovich analyzes these vulnerabilities in the context of the most recent Iowa Poll, which found that the majority of Iowa voters are not ready to give Reynolds another term.
More excerpts from the column below:
“Gov. Kim Reynolds is vulnerable. That’s a remarkable campaign status for any Iowa incumbent but especially for one with more than $4 million in the bank.
Reynolds has not just one but two Democratic challengers nipping at the heels of her sensible pumps.”
“I’ve seen some Republicans on social media, trying to spin the competitive poll numbers as expected for this time of year. After all, they say, Democrats are pouring over a million bucks into TV ads and campaigning full-time while Reynolds is toiling away behind the scenes to get her agenda through the Legislature.
Phooey. In the last Iowa Poll, taken in December, roughly six in 10 Iowans didn’t know enough about Reynolds’ best-known challengers to give an opinion about them. Every one of her opponents would eat a live spider — a big, furry one — for the free media the governor can get any time she wants.
With about nine months still to go until the Nov. 6 general election and contested primaries coming up in June, the cake batter is still in the bowl. Undecided voters and those supporting other candidates total 22 percent in both of these matchups.”