Adam Steen Admits to Swampy Political Games, Faces Calls to Drop Out of the Governor’s Race
DES MOINES – Swampy Adam Steen is now facing calls from members of his own party to drop out of the governor’s race after he tried and failed to get his political opponent Eddie Andrews kicked off the ballot, was caught red-handed trying to cover it up, and finally admitted to his backroom dealing.
Steen came clean on Thursday about coordinating with a donor to get Andrews kicked off the ballot — but only after the Secretary of State exposed Steen’s lies by confirming the only people who reviewed Andrews’ signatures were Steen’s Campaign Manager Rob Peters and Communications Director Rebekah Oleson.
This comes after Steen lied and claimed he had nothing to do with the challenge to Andrews’ petition signatures. During the petition hearing on Wednesday, inconsistencies between Andrews’ petition signatures and the copy Steen’s campaign staff provided to their donor also raised questions about Steen’s staff purposefully altering official documents.
Steen’s fellow Republicans are taking aim at his swampy political games, and some opponents are even calling on him to drop out:
- Republican gubernatorial candidate Eddie Andrews: “That’s a severe character flaw that should be nowhere near Terrace Hill … If he had honor, he would drop out.”
- Randy Feenstra’s campaign chair Brian Dumas: “Bold faced lies. Caught red handed. Steen should drop out.”
- Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn: “Mr. Eddie Andrews, it is an honor to be in this fight with you, to have you alongside as a candidate for governor of Iowa.”
- Republican gubernatorial candidate Brad Sherman: “Adam Steen had reason to worry about more people being on the ballot, and his continued pattern of telling half-truths and deceptive statements is extremely disturbing for someone who is asking for the trust of Iowans.”
Steen is now downplaying his slimy behavior, calling it a “little tit-for-tat” and a “weird argument.” Steen even lashed out when questioned by reporters, saying “I have no desire to have this conversation.”
From Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Terra Hernandez:
“Swampy Adam Steen’s horrible week only got worse last night. Steen failed to get Eddie Andrews kicked off the ballot, was caught trying to cover it up, and only came clean when the Secretary of State exposed his slimy political games, totally failing to take full responsibility and instead blaming his staff. Steen won’t hesitate to lie and overturn the will of Iowa voters to push his own agenda — it’s why Iowans will never trust him to be our next governor.”
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