Linn County is ‘epicenter’ of campaigning this week

CEDAR RAPIDS - Iowa may not be receiving as much attention from the presidential candidates as in past campaigns, but that's not the case for down-ballot races in Linn County.

The races for control of the U.S. Senate and House, as well as the Iowa Legislature, are targeting the state's second-largest county this week.

And Hillary Clinton makes her first Cedar Rapids general election campaign visit to Cedar Rapids Friday with a 1:15 p.m. rally in the NewBo City Market courtyard.

'Cedar Rapids is going to be the epicenter of politics in Iowa” this week, Republican Party of Iowa spokesman Taylor Mason said Tuesday.

That's because Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is seeking re-election, was in Cedar Rapids Monday. On Tuesday, Gov. Terry Branstad made his second visit to Marion in a week to campaign for Iowa Senate 34 challenger Rene Gadelha and Iowa House 76 and 68 candidates. U.S. Rep. Rod Blum and his Democratic challenger Monica Vernon debate in Sinclair Auditorium at Coe College at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Iowa Democratic and Republican Party leaders are to participate in a Fox 28 round-table discussion of election issues to be broadcast at 11 p.m. Thursday.

Branstad is paying attention to Linn County 'because you have great candidates and we've done well here in the past.” He's working to re-elect Gadelha in Senate 34 and Rep. Ken Rizer in House 68 and elect Ashley Hinson to an open seat in House 67, where Republican Rep. Kraig Paulsen did not seek re-election.

Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Iowa House. In the Senate, Democrats have a 25-23 advantage with one independent and a vacancy to fill in a district that was held by a Democrat.

'Look, I've never lost an election and one of the reasons is that no one works harder,” the six-term governor said while campaigning Tuesday in Marion.

Iowa House Minority Leader Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, believes Democrats have two 'incredibly hardworking candidates” in Mark Seidl and Molly Donahue in House 67 and 68, respectively.

He is encouraged because polling, and what candidates hear when door-knocking, indicates that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is a liability with suburban voters, women and independents 'who determine outcomes election after election,” Smith said.

Although it's hard to beat an incumbent like Sen. Liz Mathis, Branstad thinks Gadelha gives his party a 'realistic” chance of flipping Senate 34 and winning control of that chamber.

One reason is Republicans' 600-plus voter registration advantage over Democrats in the district.

Senate 34 and House 67 and 68 'definitely are seats we are targeting for a number of reasons,” Mason said. 'If we think we have a chance in that seat, we're going to go full throttle and take every opportunity to win that seat.”

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, believes Mathis has a good shot at winning another term. He also suggested Branstad's interest might not be strictly about electoral politics.

'I don't think Branstad likes the fact that Liz is one of the leading critics of his badly done Medicaid transition to managed care,” Gronstal said. 'They rushed it, they did it badly and Liz has called them on it and Gov. Branstad is tired of hearing about it.

'They can hope they can beat Liz, but I think the odds are pretty strong against them,” Gronstal said.

Gronstal thinks Democrat Scott Peterson has a chance to defeat Sen. Dan Zumbach, R-Ryan, in Senate 48 and he hopes to pick off a couple of other GOP incumbents.

In the meantime, Gronstal said, no Senate Democrats are in trouble.

'Some are in competitive races that we have to fight to win,” he said.