Democratic challengers fight for momentum in muted Iowa Senate primary

DES MOINES — Iowa’s Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate had about a month to bask in the attention of voters — three quiet weeks bracketed by the close of the presidential caucuses on one end and the rise of a global pandemic on the other.

Now, Iowans have already begun to vote in a primary election that will determine which candidate takes on Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst in a critical general election fight that could determine the balance of the Senate. But even with those high stakes, the primary has been a mostly muted affair, playing out online and in video conference calls while the coronavirus dominates headlines.

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{Theresa} Greenfield, a Des Moines businesswoman, announced she would seek the party’s nomination in June 2019. Three days later, the powerful Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee formally backed her candidacy. A slew of endorsements followed from high-profile national groups like EMILY’s List, powerful in-state unions like AFSCME Council 61, and high-ranking elected officials like U.S. Reps. Dave Loebsack and Abby Finkenauer.

Three others currently are challenging Greenfield for the nomination, including former Navy Adm. Mike Franken, attorney and children’s advocate Kimberly Graham and businessman Eddie Mauro. A fifth contender, contractor Cal Woods, ended his campaign earlier this month and endorsed Franken.

Read more: https://www.thehawkeye.com/news/20200510/democratic-challengers-fight-for-momentum-in-muted-iowa-senate-primary
(Burlington Hawkeye)