Posted on 05/03/2013 5:46:22 AM PDT by cotton1706
Iowa’s 2014 Senate race became a golden opportunity for Republicans when Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin announced in January he wouldn’t seek another term. It’s a bona fide swing state, and the electorate should lean GOP if past midterms are any indication.
So why are so many of the GOP’s top prospects taking a pass?
State Agriculture Commissioner Bill Northey is the latest to forgo the race, announcing Thursday that he feels he can better serve the state in his current position. He follows Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, who announced just last week that she, too, was sitting the race out.
Northey and Reynolds, along with Rep. Tom Latham, are three top candidates who have all opted against running for Senate against Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley, the all-but-certain Democratic nominee. At this point, the only remaining high-profile prospect who hasn’t ruled out a run is Rep. Steve King.
Iowa Republicans say a combination of factors is keeping some of their most promising potential away: the fact that Harkin’s announcement was fairly unexpected; the quick time frame in which possible candidates are expected, by the media and by supporters, to make a decision; and a general desire to stay in their current positions or pursue other opportunities down the line.
“If you’re Tom Latham, I think you say, ‘I just got elected to a new district, defeated a sitting congressman, and it’s not a natural move to turn around and say, ‘Well, now I’m a U.S. Senate candidate,’” said Craig Robinson, a former Iowa GOP political director who edits The Iowa Republican.
Nick Ryan, who heads the American Future Fund, said considerations about keeping seniority in current jobs or possible plans to run for other statewide offices might be playing a role.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Yet you had no problem painting us with a very broad brush here in Iowa.
You mean the Establishment Republicans that voted Rick Santorum first in the caucus? Those Establishment Republicans?
And doon’t worry, King will have huge GOP support if he runs. Trust me.
Remind me again: What was the Iowa Santorum delegate count to the Republican National Convention?
“Yet you had no problem painting us with a very broad brush here in Iowa.”
Well, my comments were about the candidates and the establishment that tries to manipulate them, not the voters.
But nevermind. I hope you’re right that if King runs, that he’ll get lots of support. Lord knows there are those that are trying to deride and derail him as they did Palin and Miller and Lee and and Cruz and Paul and DeMint and Coburn (when he first ran) and Toomey and Mourdock and Scott, etc.
We can see what we get when we get some real conservatives in the senate (Cruz, Lee, Paul), both democrats and republicans run for cover and the hit pieces come out to try to destroy them. While McCain and Romney are praised and promoted to the hilt, until they get nominated that is, for then the work begins to destroy them as well. I’d rather have all conservative nominees and go for broke, we can’t lose them all, while the establishment last year demonstrated that their candidates can indeed, lose them all!
Boehner pushed the deal through with most GOP members against it.
So why didn’t King and the majority then turn around and boot out Boehner the leader who pushed the tax hike through.
Because they are business as usual politicians voting YES and NO on issues not based on conviction, but on whether it will help them win the next election.
Rep. Steve King has said officially he will not run for the US Senate seat held by Tom Harkin. There’s no bench either.
Perhaps the potential candidates are spiking the run to frustrate the long knives of the media.
Or perhaps polling data looks so disastrous that no one wants to waste their time and money.
Well that’s a shame. Time for some conservative legislator to step up the plate then.
Apparently, the Iowa GOP is down to choices like
Matt Whitaker, former US attorney; RINO
State Sen. Joni Ernst, an unknown
Rod Roberts, uncharismatic previous governor candidate
David Young, Sen. Grassley’s chief of staff, future star but untried
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.