Quick Rises Now The Norm, Necessity For Iowa Democrats

Iowa’s U.S. Senate race may feature a match-up between Chuck Grassley and a Democrat less than half his age who wasn’t alive when the senator was first elected to office. Kim Reynolds will likely face off with someone with a fraction of years experience in public office as her.

For many Iowa Democrats, seeing new, younger faces (or new, middle-aged faces) jump into high-profile contests or leadership positions can be exciting and invigorating for a party eager to try things differently after several cycles of statewide losses. It’s also a bit of a necessity for Democrats here, who simply don’t have too many well-known, long-serving members waiting in the wings for a run for higher office.

After Jack Hatch’s run for governor in 2014, Bruce Braley’s bid for the Senate in 2014 and Patty Judge’s in 2016, we haven’t seen many longtime legislators or previous statewide elected officials mount major runs. The model now for a Democratic congressional or statewide candidate is someone who just arrived on the scene.

Cindy Axne went straight to Congress with no prior elected office experience. Abby Finkenauer was only in her second term in the Iowa House when she launched her congressional campaign. Theresa Greenfield and Fred Hubbell were new names for the vast majority of voters. The same for Rob Sand.

Read more: https://iowastartingline.com/2021/06/24/quick-rises-now-the-norm-necessity-for-iowa-democrats/