Days Before Primary, Ad Wars Get Nasty in GOP Gov Race
DES MOINES – With just five days to go until Iowa’s June primary, the Republican gubernatorial primary is officially an expensive and chaotic mess in ads for all Iowans to see.
No-Show Randy Feenstra and career political operative and Kansas carpetbagger Zach Lahn launched dueling attack ads in a last-minute attempt to prevent the race from going to a messy nominating convention, and the Republican Governors Association has already been forced to step in to paper over their nasty primary. Here’s what you need to know:
- Dueling attack ads: Yesterday, a consultant connected to Zach Lahn’s campaign launched a new ad attacking Randy Feenstra for giving “taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal immigrants” as head of an immigrant outreach group in Hull. Feenstra’s campaign responded by releasing a new attack ad this morning slamming Lahn for “invest[ing] a million dollars in a sex toy company,” saying that “Zach Lahn’s phony values end where his profits begin.” Lahn responded by saying he’s “now investing more to Retire Randy and defeat the establishment machine … from taking yet another race.”
- Lahn breaking his promise not to go negative: Lahn had previously said “I don’t say bad things about my opponents, and I’m not planning to say bad things about my opponents.” Now, FCC records show Lahn is coordinating through a shady independent expenditure group, Right America Inc., to attack Feenstra. Lahn and Right America Inc. both share the same consultant — Sage Advisory Group — which none of the other Republicans are linked to.
- Republican Governors Association’s desperate bailout: The GOP gubernatorial primary “has become a particular headache for Republicans,” forcing the Republican Governors Association to spend thousands of dollars to bail out their flailing candidates. In a failed attempt to paper over the “unsettled,” “chaotic,” and “competitive” Republican primary, the RGA launched a false and misleading attack ad that KCCI fact-checkers debunked. Iowa is the only governor’s race in the country where the RGA is spending money in a primary before voters have made their voices heard.
From Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Terra Hernandez:
“With just five days to go until primary day, the Republican gubernatorial primary has spiraled into a nightmare scenario for the Iowa GOP. Randy Feenstra and Zach Lahn are tearing each other apart in an expensive and messy ad war, while national Republicans are already being forced to spend big before Iowa voters have had the chance to make their voices heard. Whoever survives this bruising primary will emerge damaged, broke, and stuck with a deeply fractured party that’s responsible for the failed status quo that’s left Iowa families behind.”
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