Rivals suggest Conlin is distraction, should exit Senate race

By James Q. Lynch

The Gazette

Roxanne Conlin's success as an attorney has become a distraction in the race to replace Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, according to Tom Fiegen, one of her rivals for the 2010 Democratic nomination.

Another rival, Bob Krause, is questioning whether Conlin taking advice from a longtime friend violates the spirit of her pledge not to take contributions from federal lobbyists.

Rounding out criticism is the Republican Party Iowa, which claims the Des Moines trial attorney walked away with $75 million in a multi-million lawsuit settlement with Microsoft Corporation. It demanded Conlin split that with Iowa public schools, which will share $60 million from that lawsuit on top of the claims they filed as part of the lawsuit.

“Every candidate and the Republican party are fast at work attacking Roxanne Conlin for an accomplishment that is unmatched in Iowa history,” her campaign manager, Mark Daley said. “Putting cash in the pockets of more than 114,000 Iowans and another $60 million into our schools, without even holding an elected office, is unparalleled.”

The Cedar Rapids community school district, for example, received more than $1.2 million based on its claim against Microsoft with another $1 million is on the way as its part of the $60 million distribution negotiated by Conlin, Daley said.

Conlin's share of the $75 million award was less than one-third of the Republican claim, he said. Nearly half went to pay taxes and loans she used to fund her seven years of work on the case.

However, the flap over the settlement funds is part of Conlin's “personal baggage,” according to Fiegen, a Clarence bankruptcy attorney. He called on her to “reconsider her troubled candidacy.”

“Roxanne Conlin has been a candidate for a little over a month and the GOP attack machine is already picking away at her record,” Fiegen said. “The last thing we need is for another politician's personal problems taking the focus off the needs of working families.”

Her personal issues, he said, make Conlin “part of the problem and not part of the solution for working Iowa families.”

Krause is raising questions about Conlin accepting “high-level organizational work” from Des Moines attorney Jerry Crawford, her childhood friend. A longtime Democratic operative, Crawford also is a registered federal lobbyist for Monsanto.

When she entered the Democratic primary race, Conlin promised not to accept contributions from political action committees and federal lobbyists.

“Does taking regular high-level campaign advice and guidance from someone of the stature of Jerry Crawford constitute an in-kind campaign contribution?” Krause asked. “”Influence comes from two sources – access and money. In this case, access through high level connections is just as valuable as money.”

Daley called the attacks by Fiegen and Krause “clear signs of desperation.”

“They should be ashamed of themselves,” he said. “Roxanne Conlin is running a grassroots effort refusing to accept donations from political action committees or Washington lobbyists.  We challenge Bob Krause, Tom Fiegen and Chuck Grassley to make that same pledge.”

The Krause campaign is not taking from either political actions committees or federal lobbyists.