Governor Reynolds spent the second to last week of the election saying one thing while doing another. Double talk has become a staple of Governor Reynolds’ administration, so it’s no surprise that this is her message heading into the homestretch of the campaign.

“Governor Reynolds continues to talk about what she wants to do – providing over the counter birth control, protecting IPERS – but time and time again we see her do the exact opposite,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price. “You cannot govern on broken promises. Iowans are smart enough to know It is time for new leadership that will live up to promises made on the campaign trail. We will get that in Fred Hubbell and Rita Hart.” 

  • Governor Reynolds started her week with the third and final debate between herself and Fred Hubbell. Like the first two debates, Governor Reynolds stuck to personal attacks and did not offer any real solutions to the problems she’s created during her time in office.
  • Iowans continue to feel the hurt of Governor Reynolds’ disastrous privatized Medicaid program. This week, hospitals said Governor Reynolds’ program would cost them tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue a year and ultimately lead to them having to lay off workers
  • The sexual harassment scandal plaguing Governor Reynolds’ campaign continued to get worse this week when the Associated Press reported that Wes Peterson, a “sidekick” of Reynolds’ long-time friend Dave Jamison, would retaliate against women who tried to report Jamison’s sexual harassment.
  • Governor Reynolds was also called out this week for her lack of protection of pensions for public workers. Governor Reynolds’ promise that she won’t touch IPERS is an empty one. She said the same thing about collective bargaining in 2017, but gutted Chapter 20. Reynolds has enlisted a task force to “study” IPERS, and discussed moving it to a hybrid system that would put IPERS recipients, both current and future, at risk. She also said last month that she would not rule out changes to IPERS and promised to protect those already receiving their benefits. The Governor’s promise did not extend to future IPERS recipients.
  • Finally, it was reported that Governor Reynolds took $100,000 Rex Sinquefield, a Missouri Republican who works to end pension program like IPERS. He is one of only six people that has given the Governor more than $100,000 for her campaign, and is the only contribution to an Iowa candidate he has ever made. This is just more evidence that Governor Reynolds is not going to fight for IPERS if re-elected.
As we head into the final full week of the campaign, it seems that Iowans can expect to see more of the same from Governor Reynolds as she tries, and fails, to hold onto her seat.

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