Welcome to The Status Quo Squad — your weekly newsletter from the Iowa Democratic Party bringing you the latest updates on the chaotic, messy, and wide-open Republican gubernatorial primary where all the candidates promise one thing: a continuation of the status quo that has failed Iowa for the last decade.
This week, Randy Feenstra was too busy catching heat from Iowa farmers for kicking the can down the road on E15 to show up at a candidate forum with his fellow Republicans — and his long string of absences from the campaign trail have led his rivals to sound the alarm over his ability to win a general election. The anniversary of Roe v. Wade also put a spotlight on how Iowans are suffering under Kim Reynolds’ extreme abortion ban, which all of the Republicans running for governor support, and how the GOP slate would only further attack Iowans’ reproductive freedom if given the chance.
Let’s get into it.
Feenstra fail of the week: Kicking the can down the road on the sale of E15
Iowa farmers are blasting do-nothing D.C. politician Randy Feenstra’s new “task force” for kicking the can down the road on year-round E15. With Iowa’s agricultural economy already reeling from rising input costs, tariffs, and corn prices below the cost of production, House Republicans stripped language from the government funding bill that guaranteed nationwide, year-round E15. Instead, Feenstra is putting farmers’ livelihoods on hold with a “task force” that delivers nothing but delay.
Here’s what they’re saying about Feenstra’s failure to deliver for farmers:
- Iowa Corn Growers Association: “Iowa’s corn growers are frustrated and disappointed that after spending years advocating and sharing the benefits for all Americans that comes with the passage of E15, Congress has again kicked the can down the road. There is now talk that members of Congress are planning to establish a rural energy council to explore this legislation. We have worked on E15 for years. We already have a bill. We have already come to an agreement with the petroleum industry. There is nothing left to discuss.”
- National Corn Growers Association: “Corn growers are disgusted, disappointed and disillusioned that after spending years of calling for passage of E15, Congress has again punted, and it has done so in a spectacularly weak and offensive way … Congress is choosing to leave America’s 500,000 corn farmers behind in favor of a handful of refineries.”
Turning up the heat: Feenstra’s rivals question his strength in a general election
At Thursday night’s GOP candidate forum in Eldridge, Feenstra’s rivals didn’t hold back about his no-show campaign and ability to win in November. Former Reynolds lackey Adam Steen warned that if Feenstra becomes the nominee, Iowa Republicans would have to “drag him across the finish line” in a general election — adding bluntly, “I don’t know if that’s possible.”
This isn’t the first time Feenstra has skipped a forum, or dodged tough questions. To date, Feenstra has skipped candidate forums in Plymouth, Jefferson, Sioux, and Ida counties. After repeatedly refusing to answer radio host Simon Conway about whether he would participate in a primary debate, the question now looms: will Feenstra finally show up for the next GOP debate this Tuesday, hosted by Conway himself? So far, Randy Feenstra has given Iowa voters little reason to believe he’ll show up or that he’s ready to lead as the state’s next governor.
GOP candidates agree: All-in on Kim Reynolds’ extreme six-week abortion ban
The anniversary of Roe served as a reminder for how Kim Reynolds’ extreme abortion ban — one of the nation’s strictest which restricts women’s access to care before most know they’re pregnant — has harmed Iowa women and families.
Under Reynolds, Iowa has fallen to worst in the country for OB-GYNs and it’s become harder for women to get essential care, forcing Iowans to travel hundreds of miles and cross state lines to see a doctor.
Randy Feenstra, Adam Steen, Zach Lahn, Brad Sherman, and Eddie Andrews are all in full support of Reynolds’ abortion ban and believe life starts at conception, with some going as far as opposing exceptions for rape, incest, or life of the mother. Feenstra has also touted the support he has received from extremist groups.
Bottom line: No matter who emerges from this underwhelming and extreme crop of candidates, they are all running to continue Kim Reynolds’ failed policies that have put Iowa dead last in economic growth, set kids and teachers up for failure, and ripped away access to health care.
That’s a wrap for this edition of The Status Quo Squad. Thanks for reading, we’ll see you next week.