The Des Moines Register reports that Patty Judge’s last-minute Senate candidacy is seen as a ‘heavy-handed’ and ‘unwelcome’ interference from D.C. Democrats, who have steamrolled State Sen. Rob Hogg in order to push their own candidate through a divisive primary.
The story notes that Hogg has the support of nearly every Democrat in the state legislature while Judge can tout support from Washington insiders after she completed the Full Patty in her first week as a candidate. Meanwhile, Iowa’s liberal grassroots have shown ‘outright hostility’ to Judge’s candidacy. And former State Sen. Jack Hatch, the party’s 2014 nominee for governor, declared, ‘The Washington Oligarchy has chosen Lt. Gov. Judge.”
As Washington Democrats attempt to strong-arm their party’s own grassroots voters, it’s clear that Patty Judge’s path to the nomination is hardly a sure thing. Democrats have another brutal primary in the making, and Patty Judge’s cozy relationship with Washington isn’t helping her a bit.
Check out the DMR story below:
Some Iowa Dems Have Doubts About Patty Judge
By Jason Noble
March 21, 2016
Patty Judge dived into Iowa’s U.S. Senate race this month with a splash of media attention and unsubtle support from the Democratic establishment in Washington.
Now that she’s on the ballot, though, she must prove that Democratic voters in Iowa are with her as well.
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Even so, those state-level Democrats have largely declined to endorse her, and some see her late entry as a heavy-handed and unwelcome intervention from Washington.
“The Washington oligarchy has chosen Lt. Gov. Judge to go after this seat, to go after Grassley,” said former Iowa state Sen. Jack Hatch, who was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2014. “But that’s a political oligarchy that oftentimes interferes with the natural flow of politics in a state.”
Judge, a former lieutenant governor and secretary of agriculture, made her candidacy official Friday, submitting nominating petitions to secure her spot in the June 7 Democratic primary. She’ll face state Sen. Rob Hogg, as well as former Iowa lawmakers Tom Fiegen and Bob Krause.
That Judge has the support of national Democratic leaders and operatives looking to recapture the U.S. Senate is unmistakable: the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued a statement lauding her candidacy 47 minutes after she declared March 4. On March 8, she met privately with Democratic senators in Washington, after which several spoke glowingly of her qualifications.
In Iowa, though, most of the state’s Democratic leadership is backing Hogg, who began exploring a challenge to Grassley in July. Hogg has endorsements from 63 of the state’s 69 Democratic lawmakers and 30 more former legislators.
Iowa Senate President Pam Jochum and Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal went out of their way to reaffirm their support for Hogg after Judge entered the race, and others don’t appear to be backing away either.
In an interview, Hogg said he was not seeking national backing for his campaign and would not be fundraising outside Iowa.
“I am rolling the dice that Iowans want to take charge of this political system and they want to make the decision about who should be our next United States senator,” Hogg said.
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The party’s liberal grassroots, meanwhile, has shown outright hostility to Judge’s late-breaking entry into the race, as well as her record during 12 years in statewide office. Of particular concern is her perceived coziness with the state’s agricultural interests and opposition to environmental regulation.
That perception is underscored by her involvement with the Iowa Partnership for Clean Water, a group formed by the Iowa Farm Bureau to oppose the Des Moines Water Works’ lawsuit against three northwest Iowa drainage districts over farm runoff. Judge serves on the group’s board of directors.
“People do not forget how bad Patty Judge has been on rural issues, on environmental issues and on agriculture,” said Ed Fallon, a liberal activist who ran for governor in 2006. “She’s been shilling for some of the same interest groups that Democrats at the grassroots level are constantly fighting against.”
Judge’s position is particularly at odds with Hogg’s message, critics say, which focuses heavily on environmental policy and responding to climate change.
“Her position might do well in in Buena Vista, Calhoun and Sac counties, but gosh, overall, that’s a winning issue for Hogg,” Fallon said, referring to the counties named in the Water Works lawsuit.
That sentiment was echoed by Fred Hubbell, a retired insurance executive and top donor to Iowa Democrats.
“One of the key differences between the two of them is on water quality issues and environmental issues,” Hubbell said. “Rob has a much stronger record than she does, particularly on water quality.”
Hubbell has donated to Hogg’s campaign, but said he was willing to consider supporting Judge.
Other Hogg supporters spoke positively of Judge but still weren’t sure what she brought to the race that their candidate didn’t.
“Patty Judge is a smart, great lady with a lot of experience, but I guess I’m not sure what the hesitation would be for the DSCC to get behind someone like Rob Hogg,” Page County activist Jennifer Herrington said.
Herrington also noted Judge’s place alongside Chet Culver on the Democrats’ losing 2010 gubernatorial ticket.
“His loss was her loss,” she said. “It was a campaign we should’ve won and needed to win. I’m not saying she helped or hurt his campaign, but I guess I feel like she had her chance.”
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