Des Moines, Iowa (AP) – Democrat Mike Franken, a retired Navy Admiral, will face Republican Chuck Grassley for a seat in the Iowa Senate, which won his party nomination over two rivals on Tuesday.
Franken defeated former Congressman Ebi Finkenauer AND Dr. Glenn Hurst, and won the right to vote against Grassley, who is running for an eighth term in the Senate and defeated his nominal main challenge on Tuesday.
Franken’s initial success was something of a surprise, as Finkenauer became more famous statewide after winning the Republican convention in 2018, making her the second youngest woman elected to Congress. Finkenauer lost his re-election in 2020, but was often on cable television and raised millions of dollars to vote in the Senate.
In his campaign, Franken stressed the need to “reduce political tensions” in Washington. He also called for the addition of the public insurance option to the Affordable Care Act.
Joyce Mahl of West Iowa Council bluffs said she voted for Franken because she wasn’t convinced the people of Iowa would vote for a Democratic woman in the general election, even though Iowa elected Democrats, including Finkenauer, to Congress. Mahl’s top priority is the candidate he looks hard on against Grassley.
“If you want Grassley to come out, you have to vote for someone you think can beat him,” Mahl, 66, said after the vote at City Council Bluff Church.
However, Franken will have a tough fight in the general election against Grassley, who has served seven terms. The state that Democrat Barack Obama won in two presidential elections Continues to move to the right In recent years, some of the broader changes that have taken place in the Northern Plains have made it difficult for Democrats to compete nationwide.
A prominent state legislator before serving a term in the United States House of Representatives, Finkenauer was one of Iowa’s leading Democrats.
Mark Hollander, 47, a marketing professional in West de Moin, said he voted for Abby Finkenauer because of her work in Congress, but because she represents the new generation. Finkenauer stressed the limit on the number of terms for a member of the Senate.
“I agree with him on time limits,” Hollandier said. “I feel like Grassley hasn’t been effective in the last decade and has become more constraining at this point.”
But Finkenauer’s campaign came to an abrupt halt in April, when he barely participated in the first round of voting. Republican activists said they have not collected enough signatures from enough countries. The district judge found Finkenauer unfit to vote, which he called “deeply partisan.” The Iowa Supreme Court overturned that decision and allowed him to vote.
However, the episode killed many veteran state Democratic activists, former candidates and officials, forcing some to reconsider Franken. It posted stronger funding numbers in the first quarter than Finkenauer and garnered approval from some of Finkenauer’s former prominent supporters, who were disappointed that he refused to take responsibility for presentation mistakes.
Grassley, from New Hartford to northern Iowa, was first elected to the United States Senate in 1980 after serving three terms in the United States House of Representatives.
Associated Press writers David Pitt contributed to this report on the West De Maine, Iowa, and the Grant Schulte Council, Iowa bluff.
Source: Huffpost
