Braley invokes Truman in predicting Senate win

CEDAR RAPIDS - U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin encouraged Democratic volunteers to ignore polls showing the race to succeed him slipping away from 1st District U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley in favor of his Republican opponent.

He favors polls showing the race tied or Braley ahead and told a dozen-and-a-half Cedar Rapids volunteers Monday afternoon that his experience on the campaign trail tells him the Democrat is going to win.

'There is wonderful enthusiasm,” Harkin said. 'People are up. They understand how close this race is and they know what's at stake.”

He urged them to disregard an Iowa Poll showing the Republican, state Sen. Joni Ernst, leading by 7 percentage points. Nine out of 10 polls published the previous week had shown Braley either a little behind Ernst or a little ahead.

'I've been at this a long time and there's always some poll that is an outlier,” Harkin said.

His mention of a Quinnipiac University Poll released Monday that showed Braley and Ernst tied at 47 percent brought cheers and applause from the volunteers.

However, Public Policy Polling said later in the day that Ernst was leading 49 percent to 46 percent in its final poll on the race.

Despite Harkin's sense of victory, Braley seemed more circumspect.

He thanked the volunteers who, he said, have humbled him by their efforts 'not to elect BB to the US Senate, but to give Iowa a six-year opportunity to become a better state.”

Braley, who has represented much of Eastern Iowa in the U.S. House for the past eight years, then urged the volunteers to keep working until the polls close at 9 p.m. Tuesday night.

'This election is too important to stop working,” he said.

Then, as if to drive home his point, Braley concluded his remarks by showing the volunteers a copy of the iconic picture of President Harry Truman holding a newspaper with the 'Dewey win” headline.

'This is why we don't stop fighting until the last vote is counted,” Braley said.

However, with the support of the volunteers and thousands like them across the state, Braley joined Harkin in predicting victory.

'Together, we are going to win this election because you are the wind pushing me all the way to the finish line,” Braley added.

At his headquarters in Iowa City, 2nd District Rep. Dave Loebsack was more upbeat.

'I'm not over confident. I'm not taking anything for granted,” Loebsack said as he greeted and thanked volunteers who were busy making phone calls.

They weren't the only ones. Iowa City area Democrats report having received robocalls from President Barack Obama on Loebsack's behalf.

Loebsack, a former college political science professor, is facing Mariannette Miller-Meeks for the third time. He believes that his 'demonstrated record of working across the aisle” has helped him convince voters to give him a fifth term.

A fellow congressman who is supporting his opponent asked Loebsack this summer to be the Democratic lead on a piece of legislation, he said.

'That's the kind of bipartisan effort I'm talking about,” he said.

Loebsack predicted he will get 'a good number of Republican votes and a lot of independents.”

He's also optimistic about the whole Democratic ticket, at least in the 24-county 2nd District.

In Iowa's 1st District, former Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy of Dubuque, who is in a surprisingly tight race, was at a Cedar Rapids union hall to thank campaign volunteers.

Like every other candidates, he said the election hinges on who votes.

'Our goal is to get those people out who didn't vote in 2010,” he said at the RWDSU Hall. 'If we get them out, I think we'll have a very good night.”

Murphy also was encouraged by the early vote turnout.

'If it is any indication of how many people will vote tomorrow, I feel very optimistic,” he said. 'The most important part is that people take the opportunity to express their chance to vote, especially when you think of the millions of people who have sacrificed their lives to have that freedom in this country.”

Even if people are turned off by television ads the campaigns have been running he hopes they vote.

'As long as people turn out you can't complain about the process,” Murphy said.