Cook Political Report: Iowa Governor Moves from Lean Republican to Toss Up

[progressoid]

Iowa Governor Moves To Toss Up

The battle for Iowa’s governorship is officially a barnburner.

Internal polls from sources in both parties now show Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand with a lead over his expected Republican opponent, Rep. Randy Feenstra. Sand’s enormous cash stockpile — he sits on $13.2 million to Feenstra’s $3.2 million on hand — ensures that he’ll be able to plaster his populist message on the airwaves all the way to Election Day, and national GOP operatives acknowledge they’ll have to spend heavily in Iowa to stay in the hunt. As a competitive general election looms, this race shifts from Lean Republican to Toss Up.

Sand, 43, is among Democrats’ strongest recruits of the cycle. His perch as state auditor has burnished his reputation as a foe of fraud in government, giving him bipartisan credibility and a broadly palatable anti-corruption platform. His 2022 reelection — which came even as Democrats got trounced atop the ticket and swept out of other statewide offices — showed that he has a popular brand distinct from more liberal elements in his party. Sand is also an aggressive...

https://www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/governors/iowa-governor/iowa-governor-moves-toss

[rsdsharp]

1. Feenstra has been buying a lot of TV time -- at least in the Des Moines market.

His ads tie him tightly to Trump and his immigration policies. I don’t think Randy can read the room.

[progressoid]

4. Yeah, It won't be as easy for him to get elected in the rest of the state as it is in his red corner.

He's going to need to run a lot of ads to get rid of that swampy politician vibe he gives off.

[sheshe2]

2. Hm...Iowa?! 🤞

[rurallib]

3. just a few short years ago a very purple state

with prairie populists like Tom Harkin