Election attack ads graded by the Fact Checker team

Research shows voters remember negative campaign ads better, in part, because anger and fear cause them to seek more information.

But there's also humor: Ben Stein doing a Ferris Bueller spoof on behalf of U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and rival Patty Judge carrying a cardboard cutout of Grassley because his 'feet drag.'

Since the June 7 primary, Fact Checker has researched and graded 14 claims in Eastern Iowa's two big congressional races: Grassley vs. Judge for Senate and U.S. Rep. Rod Blum vs. Monica Vernon for Iowa's 1st District of the House.

Thirteen of those claims were attacks on rivals, which is why the Fact Checker's pre-election roundup focuses on just attack ads. Keep in mind that challengers typically run more negative ads because they're trying to knock off incumbents, and some PACS do candidates' dirty work by sponsoring the attack ads.

Here are some of claims, summaries of our findings and the grades the Fact Checker team gave the candidates and PACS for truthfulness.

U.S. Senate

Grassley claims

Claim: 'In just six years, Sen. Patty Judge missed 182 votes. State Fair board member Judge missed 76.3 percent of meetings. Iowa Economic Development Commission member Judge missed 69 of 72 meetings. The Register called Patty Judge a 'habitual no show'' — B

Democrat Judge did have a poor attendance record — she missed closer to 48 percent of State Fair Board meetings. Some of those were mere tardiness.

Claim: 'The governor, auditor and Secretary of Agriculture voluntarily cut their own pay 10 percent. But Lt. Gov. Patty Judge refused to cut her $103,000 salary by even a penny.' — B

Judge did not take a pay cut when other state officials did. The ad is off slightly on how much salary some state officials actually cut.

Judge claims

Claim: 'If you (Grassley) get your way and defund Planned Parenthood, where am I going to get my cancer screenings?' and 'If I'm paying more for medicine because your Medicare plan passes, how do I afford that?' — B

Republican Grassley has supported defunding Planned Parenthood and reshaping Medicare into a voucher program. The implication that women won't be able to find health providers without Planned Parenthood, though, is exaggerated.

Claim: 'Chuck Grassley's refusal to hold confirmation hearings on the Supreme Court is unprecedented.' — B

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Grassley's refusal to hold confirmation hearings for President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee has lasted for 235 days — the longest in American history. Judge made this claim prematurely in June.

Claim: 'Today @ChuckGrassley voted against multiple bipartisan bills to fight the Zika virus.' -- B

The House and Senate attached funding to fight the mosquito-transmitted virus to a string of amendments. Grassley voted against two of those but voted in favor of another. When an amendment he initially opposed reached cloture, he joined Democrats in passing the amendment.

Priorities for Iowa claim

Claim: ' ... Patty Judge paid men, on average, 12.45 percent more per year than women, while serving as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and Iowa lieutenant governor.' — C

Women working under Judge averaged less than their male co-workers, a pay gap present before and after her time in the agencies. Pay rates are set through union agreements or by the state's Department of Administrative Services.

Why Courts Matter (Progress Iowa, One Iowa and Iowa Citizen Action Network) claim

Claim: 'Zero public events being held by the Senator (Grassley) during the first week of his state work period, the unusually low total of just 3 events in his 15 days working in the state.' — F

Grassley held eight town halls during congressional recesses in February and March. He also attended more than a dozen tours and Q&A sessions — but those meetings weren't always open to the public.

U.S. House, 1st District

Vernon claims

Claim: 'Blum voted to cut Social Security' and 'Blum would raise the retirement age to 70.' — A

Blum was among 132 House Republicans to vote March 25 for a budget resolution amendment that would have gradually increased the retirement age to 70.

Claim: 'Congressman Blum actually sponsored a bill that could make it legal for a woman to be fired just for being pregnant.' — A

Blum co-sponsored the First Amendment Defense Act, which, if passed, would have kept the government from penalizing people or businesses for acting in accordance with their religious beliefs that marriage is between one man and one woman. Civil liberties experts said the bill could have allowed discrimination of unwed mothers.

Claim: 'Multimillionaire Blum promised he'd only take half of his salary. Then in Congress broke his word and kept all the pay.' — B

Blum, worth $14 million in 2013, posted a pledge on his website to give half his pay, which would be about $87,000, to Eastern Iowa non-profits. When the Dubuque Telegraph Herald asked him about it, Blum said the pledge was a holdover from a past campaign and wasn't sure whether his gifts met that goal.

Claim: 'Congressman Blum has repeatedly refused a vote on the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act.' — A

The 'No Fly, No Buy' bill has come up on the House floor at least a dozen times since early 2015, but the majority has never allowed it to reach a full discussion and vote. Blum has been in that majority.

National Republican Congressional Committee claims

Claim: 'Vernon made a habit of doling out deals for developers who donated to her campaign.' — C

Democrat Vernon supported projects of developers who also donated to her political campaigns. There is no evidence in the ad Vernon practiced pay-for-play politics.

Claim: 'Vernon voted to increase property taxes and utility fees ... She wanted to raise the gas tax ... Vernon raised her own salary four times.' — B

While on the Cedar Rapids City Council, Vernon voted to raise property taxes and utility fees. She publicly supported the gas tax hike. Salary increases, which she approved, were mandated by an earlier city code and included in a procedural budget vote.

Criteria

The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate/office holder or a national candidate/office holder about Iowa, or in advertisements that appear in our market. Claims must be independently verifiable. We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context.

This Fact Checker roundup was researched and written by Erin Jordan, Molly Duffy, Mitchell Schmidt and B.A. Morelli.