FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 28, 2020
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Iowa Dems Dispatch: Highlights from the Hawkeye State
Iowa Democrats are fired up after the DNC Convention, working hard for Iowans across the state
DES MOINES — There are 10 weekends until the election, and Iowans are fired up to elect Democrats up and down the ticket. This week, while the RNC shamelessly praised Trump’s complete failure to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic or a historic recession, Democrats were hard at work fighting for issues that matter to Iowans.
Iowa Democrats Are Fighting Back Against GOP-Led Voter Suppression Tactics:
On Thursday afternoon, a judge ruled in the Trump campaign’s cowardly partisan lawsuit to invalidate 50,000 absentee ballot requests. Iowa Democrats are fighting back against this decision to make it harder to vote during a global pandemic and calling it what it really is: an assault on the fundamental right to vote.
Radio Iowa: “Iowa Democratic Party chairman Mark Smith said the judge’s ruling ‘undermines our fundamental right to vote’ and he said the party will explore ‘legal avenues to overturn this ruling.’”
Iowa Public Radio: “‘While the Democratic Party explores legal avenues to overturn this ruling, what’s clear is that this partisan lawsuit is a malicious, cowardly effort by the Republican Party to disenfranchise voters and subvert the voice of Iowans in November,’ IDP Chair Mark Smith said.”
Read the Iowa Democratic Party’s full statement here.
Joe Biden Hits Trump Over Renewable Fuel Standard Delays and Waivers:
Joe Biden this week called out Trump for selling out Iowa farmers — from his chaotic mishandling of trade with China, to now refusing to announce biofuel targets and issuing waivers that leave behind small oil refineries:
Agri-Pulse: Biden hits Trump over Renewable Fuel Standard delays, waivers
“Joe Biden, the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, says President Donald Trump has ‘sold out’ American farmers in his governance of the nation’s biofuel mandate.
“In a statement exclusive to Agri-Pulse, Biden slammed Trump’s delay in announcing annual volume targets for the Renewable Fuel Standard, the federal law setting biofuel blending targets for the nation’s fuel supply, and for issuing waivers from the mandate to small oil refineries.
“‘The Renewable Fuel Standard marks our bond with our farmers and our commitment to a thriving rural economy,’ Biden said in the statement. ‘Donald Trump doesn’t respect that connection, and he’s thrown it away to the detriment of generations of producers across the Midwest and around the country — many of whom put their trust in him four years ago.’”
Theresa Greenfield Talks Derecho Response, Support for Biofuel Producers:
As Senator Joni Ernst spent the week playing political games while Iowa surpassed 1,400 new COVID-19 cases in a single day, Theresa was talking about the issues that matter most to hard-working Iowans. She sat down with Iowa Public Radio to discuss the derecho and pandemic response, and advocated for Iowa’s rural communities in a virtual meet and greet with former Governor Tom Vilsack.
Iowa Public Radio: “Democrat Theresa Greenfield is trying to unseat Iowa’s first-term Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst. Greenfield won a four-way primary in June. Her campaign ads lean hard on her childhood and growing up on a farm (in southern Minnesota). She also regularly talks about protecting Social Security in her ads. Her first husband died on the job and she credits those survivor benefits for helping her and her sons after his death. Currently, she’s a real estate executive who lives in Des Moines. Democrats see Sen. Ernst’s seat as a potential pickup in their fight to win the Senate in November.”
Radio Iowa: “Greenfield says finding ways to expand the use biofuels in aviation and other industries benefits rural communities. ‘Just here in 2020, the ethanol industry is expected to have $2.6 billion in losses. These are real dollars,’ Greenfield says. ‘…Plants have been shuttered. People have lost their jobs. These are our friends and neighbor that may have to move from their beloved rural communities to find work.’”
Abby Finkenauer Fights for Iowa Health Centers, Affordable Care for Seniors:
In the midst of a global pandemic, Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer has been fighting for affordable, accessible care for seniors and at health centers in eastern Iowa.
Waverly Newspaper Group: Rep. Abby Finkenauer, D-Iowa, on Tuesday announced a $1 million grant for the Waterloo-based Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging (NEI3A) to establish a Senior Medicare Patrol Resource Center. ‘Our seniors and their families deserve personalized help when it comes to concerns about their Medicare, especially in situations involving the possibility of fraud’ Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer said. ‘This grant and the establishment of an SMP resource center at the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging ensures that this service will reach Iowans who need it.’”
KCRG: “Rep. Abby Finkenauer (IA-01) announced Wednesday that federal grants totaling nearly $750,000 have been awarded to northeastern Iowa healthcare centers. The grants will go toward supporting three healthcare centers in delivering affordable, accessible and high-quality healthcare in eastern Iowa communities.”
Cindy Axne Endorsed as “Fierce Advocate” by Elizabeth Warren:
Earlier this week, Senator Elizabeth Warren endorsed Congresswoman Cindy Axne as a fierce fighter for Iowans and a voice for the people in the U.S. House.
Rita Hart Centers Campaign Around Family, Service to Others:
Iowa Starting Line: Humble Roots, Mother’s Teachings Guide Rita Hart’s Campaign For Congress
“Hart, a 20-year teacher, former state senator and farmer, has emphasized the importance of family since launching her campaign in May 2019.
“In her stump speech, she talks about her mother and how a debilitating heart condition made it difficult for her to speak above a whisper. In order to hear her mother, Hart says, she and her eight siblings had to ‘lean in’ and listen closely.
“‘Sometimes, the small voices that you have to lean in and take trouble to hear are the ones that you should be listening to the most,’ Hart said last summer at a Lee County Democrats’ event. ‘And that’s not happening in Washington, D.C., right now. The loud voices, the ones with all the money, those are the ones that are getting all of the attention. Those are the ones people are hearing.’”
Sierra Club Endorses JD Scholten to be an Environmental Champion in Congress:
Siouxland News: Sierra Club endorses J.D. Scholten
“‘We are pleased to announce today that the Sierra Club officially endorses J.D. Scholten for election,’ said Charles Winterwood, Iowa Sierra Club Chapter Political Committee Chair. ‘We are confident that he will work to protect Iowa families’ health, air and water, and build a clean energy economy that works for all Iowans. Given the current administration’s continued threats to our clean air and water and public lands, it is more important than ever to elect environmental champions like Scholten.’
“‘We are deeply grateful to J.D. for his commitment to preserving Iowa’s natural resources, his work to encourage sustainable agriculture that’s good for the environment and for farmers’ pocketbooks, and his efforts to ensure clean water for future generations of Iowans, as well as everyone downriver from us,’ stated Carrie Radloff, Northwest Iowa Group – Sierra Club Chair. ‘He is a true environmental champion who will fight to protect Iowa’s clean air, clean water, our climate and our natural treasures such as the Loess Hills.’”