Welcome back 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.
Randy Feenstra had another horrible week on the campaign trail after he was exposed for misusing taxpayer dollars on radio ads for his campaign, faced a tough crowd at a town hall with members of his own party, and refused to debate his primary opponents. Feenstra was also called out by Iowa farmers for supporting costly tariffs.
Let’s get into it.
Caught red-handed: Feenstra misuses Iowa taxpayer dollars to fund his campaign
New reporting reveals that Randy Feenstra spent $33,000 in taxpayer-funded resources on statewide radio ads before the Iowa Caucuses in a failed attempt to “make a good impression on activists” and shore up support for his campaign. Despite that, he still flopped and finished a distant third in straw polls.
Feenstra was asked by an Iowa taxpayer why he misused taxpayer money on campaign ads, but shamelessly refused to give a straight answer about his shady and unethical behavior.
Watch the exchange here:
Iowa taxpayer: “The question is, the whole ad sounds like a campaign ad, and it’s got a little tagline that, hey, call my office to help, and then it’s paid for by tax dollars. And I’m going, you’ve got how many million? Use your millions, but don’t use my tax dollars to come and tell me what you’re doing.”
Feenstra: “Sounds good. Thank you.”
Feenstra’s fails of the week: Flopping at a town hall and refusing to debate his opponents
Randy Feenstra faced a “skeptical” crowd at a town hall with members of his own party on Tuesday and only brought one microphone so audience members couldn’t finish their questions. Feenstra had such a tough time taking questions from Republicans that his campaign is now blocking Iowa voters from recording events — a tactic that seems unlikely to resolve the major problems he faces from within his own party.
In another transparent effort to hide from voters, Feenstra once again moved the goalpost on debating his opponents, this time stating he won’t debate until the filing deadline on March 13. Feenstra said “we don’t even know who’s going to be in the race. So once that’s settled, hey, that’s the time to debate.”
What you missed from Feenstra’s Tuesday town hall flop:
- Conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats: Wow! This is a stunning rebuke from key grassroots activist in Polk County. Transparently, I believe there is no avenue for @RandyFeenstra campaign to reconcile the hostile emotions of the base. I’ve seen a lot of things over my years….nothing like this. #Disaster”
- Iowa conservative activist Barb Heki: “The one Iowa gubernatorial candidate who has been notoriously elusive came out of his basement last night to speak to a group we’re in. … After last night, he’ll probably go back in his basement. It was a massacre for him. He took exactly six questions from the audience and dodged five of them. He also cut off the questioners multiple times, not letting them finish their questions. People were angry! … Feenstra is so disliked that a large number of Republicans will not vote for him in the general election if he is the nominee.”
- Des Moines Register: “A West Des Moines crowd peppered Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Feenstra with tough questions about President Donald Trump, his commitment to talking with the party’s grassroots and more.”
- Radio Iowa: “Feenstra met with a crowd of avid Trump supporters last night, fielding questions about his campaign for governor and his neutrality during the early months of the 2024 presidential campaign … Gary Leffler, a 2022 Iowa congressional candidate who’s backing Zach Lahn in the race for governor, criticized Feenstra for not attending forums alongside the other candidates.”
- WOWT: Feenstra faces critics at MAGA Nation Iowa event
Turning up the heat: Iowa farmers speak out against Feenstra supporting costly tariffs
Iowa farmers gathered on Wednesday to call out tariff-lover Randy Feenstra and the rest of Iowa’s congressional delegation for their harmful D.C. trade policies that are crushing Iowa’s farm economy. The Supreme Court struck down the reckless tariffs that Feenstra repeatedly voted for, which are driving costs up and making life worse for Iowa farmers, but Feenstra has refused to speak out.
See what Iowa farmers had to say about costly and illegal tariffs that Feenstra supports here.
Tweet of the week: Feenstra uses South African stock art to promote Iowa First agenda
Iowa Starting Line revealed how Randy Feenstra is using stock art from — checks notes — South Africa to promote his agenda. So much for Iowa First!
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 public school 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.