Campaign Almanac: Brenna Bird announces 71 sheriff endorsements

Republican attorney general candidate Brenna Bird announced endorsements from 71 of Iowa’s 99 sheriffs.

Bird has run on a platform of supporting law enforcement, saying Democratic incumbent attorney general Tom Miller has not been supportive of the state’s police officers.

“It’s time for an Attorney General who will work law enforcement to keep Iowans safe. That’s why top law enforcement officials in both parties are getting behind our campaign,” Bird said in a news release.

Bird, the Guthrie County Attorney, has accused Miller of not meeting with sheriffs and other law enforcement, and she said sheriffs around the state have told her they’ve never met Miller.

While most of the sheriffs on the list of endorsers are Republicans, six are Democrats, from Crawford, Davis, Guthrie, Lee, Monona, and Palo Alto counties.

“I am grateful to have their support, and I am proud of what Iowa law enforcement does every single day to keep us safe,” Bird said. “They are heroes. Iowans deserve an Attorney General who will work for them.”

Grassley says Franken would expand government

A new ad from Sen. Chuck Grassley said Mike Franken is in favor of “big government.”

The ad cites positions like Franken’s support for a universal health care system, abortions without parental consent, and an expansion of the IRS under the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as public financing of elections and potential fines for not voting.

“Franken is too extreme for Iowa,” the ad says at the end.

In a news release, Grassley’s campaign spokesperson Michaela Sundermann said Democrats’ federal policies have led to high inflation and a shrinking economy, and that Franken would be a “rubber stamp” on their agenda.

“Yet, he wants to take it a step further and impose more radical Big Government policies. His views are too extreme for Iowa,” Sundermann said.

In a statement, Franken’s campaign spokesperson C.J. Petersen said Grassley “wrote the law banning Medicare from negotiating for lower drug prices, voted against capping insulin costs at $35 a month for Iowans, and voted against tax cuts for middle class Iowans. It’s clear who is and isn’t on Iowans’ side.”

Tim Scott to visit Sioux Center

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., will make another visit to Iowa this weekend, campaigning with the Iowa GOP in Sioux Center.

Scott will join Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann on Saturday at Jim Dean’s Classic Car Museum in Sioux Center for an interview-style discussion, according to a news release.

Scott has made other trips to Iowa and New Hampshire, which will hold the first two presidential nominating contests in 2024, sparking speculation that he’s planning a run for president. The senator was last in Iowa in August to headline Rep. Ashley Hinson’s BBQ fundraiser.

The event begins at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday.

Hinson ties Mathis to Pelosi in new ad

Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson went after her opponent for supporting Democratic policies that she said are responsible for high inflation and border insecurity in a new ad.

“My opponent, Liz Mathis, she won’t change any of that,” Hinson says in the ad. “She actually wants liberals like Pelosi in charge of our government, our lives, even our kids.”

The ad ends with Hinson appealing to “change direction and save America before it’s too late.”

In a provided statement, Mathis said Hinson voted against policies that would cap insulin at $35 and allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

“If Iowans want lower costs and an end to mindless partisanship, it’s time to change who your U.S. Congresswoman in Washington is because while Ashley Hinson talks, I have a record of actually getting things done for Iowans,” Mathis said.

Hinson raises $1.25 million in latest quarter

Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson raised over $1.25 million in the third quarter of 2022 and has $1.7 million cash on hand, her campaign announced on Tuesday.

That adds to the $4.9 million the freshman representative had raised during this election cycle as of the end of June, according to FEC data.

Liz Mathis, a Democratic state senator from Hiawatha, raised more than $1 million during the recent three-month federal reporting period, her campaign said.

Mathis ended the period, which closed Sept. 30, with nearly $1.2 million in her campaign account, her campaign said. Mathis raised more than $3.7 million in the cycle.

Harriet Hageman makes Iowa stops

Republican candidate for Wyoming’s sole U.S. House of Representatives spot Harriet Hageman will campaign in Iowa on Monday and Tuesday.

Hageman defeated Liz Cheney in the state’s Republican primary in August after Cheney lost support of many in the state’s Republican Party, driven by her vocal criticism of former President Donald Trump and her prominent role on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Hageman will join a rally in Polk County, as well as events in Wapello County, Cedar Rapids and Scott County.

Franken kicks off tour

Following Thursday’s debate between U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and Democratic challenger Mike Franken, Franken will kick off a tour titled “Secure Our Future.”

Franken will “connect with Iowans from all walks of life from all corners of Iowa” on the tour, according to the campaign. Franken recently completed a 99-county tour, mirroring Grassley’s signature tour.

“This is an opportunity for Admiral Franken to show Iowans why he is the right choice to retire Senator Grassley,” the campaign said in a news release.

The tour begins today with a stop in Nevada, followed by stops in Indianola, Carroll, and Storm Lake this weekend.