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.
This week, Randy Feenstra’s opponents turned on him for hiding from the campaign trail, gas prices in Iowa shot up on Feenstra’s watch, and National Teacher Appreciation Day put a spotlight on how the field supports unaccountable private school vouchers. Iowa Republicans also sounded the alarm over Feenstra’s flailing campaign.
Let’s get into it.
Messy primary alert: Adam Steen and Zach Lahn call out Randy Feenstra’s absence from the campaign trail
With less than 30 days to go until Iowa’s June 2 primary, the Republican gubernatorial race is more “unsettled,” “chaotic,” and “competitive” than ever.
Here’s where things stand:
- Last week, No-Show Randy Feenstra didn’t bother to attend the only confirmed televised debate of the primary — breaking his own promise to debate after the March 13 filing deadline passed and the field became official.
- Adam Steen and Zach Lahn both put Feenstra’s absence on blast, with Steen calling on Feenstra to commit to debates with WHO and KCCI and Lahn challenging Feenstra to “four debates, one in each congressional district.” Feenstra also skipped a candidate forum last weekend in his own House district, which all of his opponents attended.
Feenstra has been “unable to clear the primary field” after he failed to get Donald Trump’s endorsement and was snubbed by Bob Vander Plaats. In January, Fox News reported on a petition circulating among the grassroots begging Trump to endorse anyone but Feenstra. Since then, Feenstra’s “difficulty connecting” with voters has become a “persistent theme” of the wide-open race. Feenstra also finished a distant third in straw polls at the midterm caucuses — an embarrassing result for a campaign facing major “dissatisfaction” and “opposition” from his own party. It’s caused GOP activists to plan for the primary to go to a nominating convention.
Taking costs to new heights: Gas prices over $4 a gallon on Randy Feenstra’s watch
Gas prices in Iowa have surged to over $4 a gallon this week — the highest price Iowans have paid for gas since 2022 — and Randy Feenstra’s promise to lower gas prices as a campaign talking point is coming back to haunt him.
- Earlier this year, Feenstra promised to “reduce prices at the gas station” and told Iowans that “gas prices are at their lowest levels in years.” Now, Feenstra is downplaying the impact of gas prices skyrocketing under his watch, saying that Iowans struggling with rising costs will “have to pay a little higher gas price temporarily.” Feenstra voted to continue the war in Iran that’s making everything more expensive for working families, and Iowans have said surging gas prices are “atrocious,” “painful,” and “a severe burden.”
This comes after Feenstra admitted he voted for a “massive” and “catastrophic” increase in fertilizer and fuel prices for Iowa farmers. Feenstra has done nothing to expand markets for farmers by failing to deliver on his promise to pass year-round E15, which would also bring down gas prices nationwide.
GOP candidates agree: Supporting private school vouchers on Teacher Appreciation Day
National Teacher Appreciation Day put a spotlight on how — instead of investing in Iowa’s once top-ranked public schools — the Republicans running for governor are backing Kim Reynolds’ unaccountable private school vouchers that rip tax dollars away from public schools, drive up costs, and strain the state budget to foot the bill for wealthy families.
According to the Des Moines Register, 99% of Iowa’s private schools are now funded by taxpayer dollars, with vouchers projected to cost Iowa taxpayers $350 million in the next year alone. That hasn’t stopped the field from embracing vouchers that fund private schools with zero accountability and undermine the future of public education in Iowa.
The field supports Reynolds’ school vouchers and attacks on public education:
- Randy Feenstra backed Reynolds’ unaccountable school voucher scheme in the state legislature and voted in Congress to further shift tens of billions of taxpayer dollars away from public schools to unaccountable private schools.
- Adam Steen wants to go even further in gutting funding for Iowa’s public schools — which are already chronically underfunded — by $520 million per year, effectively slashing over $1,000 per student.
- Zach Lahn supports unaccountable school vouchers and claimed Iowa is “spending too much money on education,” leaving the door open to further attacks on our public schools.
- Brad Sherman and Eddie Andrews both praised Reynolds’ vouchers that are undermining the future of public education in Iowa.
Feenstra fail of the week: Flailing campaign makes headlines for all the wrong reasons
NBC reported this week that Iowa’s GOP gubernatorial primary “has become a particular headache for Republicans,” as Randy Feenstra’s well-documented problems with his base worsen.
Here’s what Iowans are saying:
- Iowa GOP Central Committee member and State Rep. Ray Sorensen: “Grab the popcorn and sit down. Republicans are trying to find out who their guy is.”
- Former IA GOP Chairman Rich Schwarm: “The big unknown is how motivated Republicans will be in the fall … it might not be a very good year.”
- Republican State Rep. Zach Dieken: “If the voter is still willing to vote for Feenstra despite the fact that he’s simply trying to TV ad his way to the nomination we’ve gotten what we deserve.”
- GOP gubernatorial candidate Adam Steen: “The field needs to be consolidated … We do need to ensure Randy is not the nominee.”
- Editorial board of Randy Feenstra’s hometown paper, the The N’West Iowa REVIEW: “Don’t you think Republican voters deserve to hear you discuss the issues with other candidates? Are you willing to agree to any joint appearances before the June 2 election? … It’s time to debate, Rep. Feenstra.”
- Republican political operative Todd Blodgett: “I don’t think Randy Feenstra can beat Rob Sand, who is a thoroughbred.”
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.