Campaign Almanac: Abby Finkenauer poll shows her with strong lead in Iowa U.S. Senate primary race

A poll conducted for Cedar Rapids Democrat Abby Finkenauer shows her with a commanding lead in the three-way June 7 primary for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination.

With two months until the primary, Finkenauer has the support of 64 percent of the 600 likely Democratic primary voters polled. Mike Franken, a retired admiral, had 15 percent and Minden physician Glenn Hurst had 6 percent.

Finkenauer, a former state legislator who served one term in the U.S. House, led across demographic groups with more than 60 percent of the vote among women, men, younger voters, older voters, liberals, moderates and conservatives.

“Iowans across the state are enthusiastic about Abby because they know she’s always stood up for working families like the one she grew up in,” campaign manager Amanda Sands said. “They know she’s the right candidate to end Chuck Grassley’s decades-long career selling out working Iowans to Washington elites and special interests.”

However, Franken’s campaign countered that the surge it has seen in fundraising and support indicates otherwise.

“The grassroots energy that propelled Admiral Franken's campaign to raise $1.4 million last quarter while successfully collecting more than enough signatures to get on the ballot is proof that Michael Franken is the strongest Democrat to take on Chuck Grassley and keep Mitch McConnell from becoming Senate Majority Leader,” campaign manager Julie Stauch said.

Finkenauer is awaiting a Polk County District Court ruling on a challenge to her nomination petitions that could keep her off the primary ballot. It’s expected the ruling, regardless of the outcome, will be appealed to the state Supreme Court.

The poll conducted by GBAO Strategies showed Finkenauer leading Franken 62 percent to 14 percent in the Des Moines media market and 75 percent to 16 percent in the Cedar Rapids market. The poll also found that among voters who can identify both Finkenauer and Franken, she leads 64 percent to 25 percent.

“Abby Finkenauer has built a commanding lead in the Democratic primary because she’s doing the hard work to build the coalition that can defeat Senator Grassley in November,” Sands said.

1ST DISTRICT POLL: The 314 Action Fund, which works to elect scientists, doctors, and STEM professionals, released poll results showing state Rep. Christina Bohannan, D-Iowa City, is just 1 percentage point behind Republican U.S. House Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, of Ottumwa. Miller-Meeks led the poll of 534 voters in the southeast Iowa congressional district 43 percent to 42 percent with 15 percent undecided. The poll had a margin of error of 4.2 percent.

The results also showed 63 percent of likely voters preferred an engineer who wants to repair our critical infrastructure to an elected official who voted against the infrastructure bill, according to 314. Bohannan, a constitutional law professor, has a degree in engineering. And 60 percent favor abortion rights and preserving the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade.

CCI ENDORSEMENTS: The political arm of the advocacy group Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement endorsed Glenn Hurst, one of three Democrats running in Iowa’s U.S. Senate campaign.

Hurst is a physician from Minden. The other Democratic candidates in the U.S. Senate race are former U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer, of Cedar Rapids, and retired admiral Mike Franken, of Sioux City.

They are seeking their party’s nomination to challenge longtime Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who also faces a primary challenge from Sioux City lawyer and state Sen. Jim Carlin.

“Glenn Hurst is a person who actually walks the talk and shows that he can play a vital role in solving the problems our planet faces, including getting profits out of health care and moving to pass Medicare for All,” Susie Petra, a CCI member from Ames, said in a CCI news release.

According to a news release, CCI made its endorsements based on candidates’ positions on issues like racial justice, family farms and the environment, and getting profits out of health care.

FINKENAUER ENDORSED: Abby Finkenauer, a Democratic candidate in Iowa’s U.S. Senate race, was endorsed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees International and AFSCME Council 61, the largest public employee union in Iowa, representing more than 40,000 workers.

Finkenauer is one of three Democrats running in Iowa’s U.S. Senate campaign. The others are Mike Franken and Glenn Hurst.

“Abby has been a champion for our members, and for all working Iowans,” AFSCME Council 61 President Rick Eilander said in a news release from the Finkenauer campaign. “From the state legislature to the halls of Congress, she’s supported common-sense pro-union and pro-worker legislation every step of the way.”

VINDMAN ENDORSES FRANKEN: Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, whose family fled Ukraine when he was 3 and served at the National Security Council as an adviser on Ukraine and director of European Affairs, has endorsed Michael Franken’s U.S. Senate campaign.

Franken, a retired three-star admiral, is running for the Democratic nomination to face Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley.

“A three-star admiral with over 36 years of service in the U.S. Navy, Mike Franken would be the most senior military person ever elected to the Senate,” Vindman said. “With a wealth of knowledge and experience across the globe, Mike Franken would bring a lifetime of much-needed public service and duty to Washington. During these uncertain times, we need to elect Admiral Mike Franken to the U.S. Senate to protect democracy here at home and abroad.”

Gazette Des Moines Bureau