FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 3, 2020
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Reynolds’ Coronavirus Failure Exposed As New Approval Rating Nose-Dives to Worst in Nation
As COVID-19 cases continue to surge to nearly 46,000 across Iowa, Reynolds’ approval rating plummets to 28%
DES MOINES — A poll released over the weekend made it clear exactly how many Iowans Governor Reynolds has disappointed with her disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic: her new coronavirus handling approval rating is only 28%, the lowest of any governor in the nation. This new data comes as Iowa approaches 46,000 cases and over 870 tragic deaths since the pandemic began.
Reynolds has blindly followed President Trump’s mishandling of COVID-19 by reducing capacity at testing sites in some of Iowa’s most vulnerable areas, refusing to issue a state-wide mask mandate, and plowing over the autonomy of local school districts by ordering majority in-person learning. Suffering Iowans have had enough — and as a result, Reynolds’ approval rating has dropped 26 points in just a matter of months as Trump’s hovers just above hers at a dismal 29%.
The numbers make it clear Iowa is continuing to struggle to contain the pandemic due to Reynolds and Trump’s failed leadership. Despite having a population of only 3.2 million, Iowa is the 18th worst state in cases per-capita and has total cases in comparable numbers to other full countries 40 to 60 times its size. If Iowa were its own nation, it would outpace many other states as the 47th worst-hit country in the world.
“Reynolds and Trump’s record-low approval ratings make it clear that Iowans are fed up with their catastrophic response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Samantha Kennedy. “As cases in Iowa continue to surge and over 870 have tragically died, GOP leaders are more focused on stripping Iowans of health care during a pandemic than offering any help to the tens of thousands Iowans that are sick, out-of-work, or hurting.”