Democrat Theresa Greenfield, with the help of more than $8 million of Washington special interests money, will enter the general election plagued with questions about her lack of preparedness to lead, heartless real estate deals, loyalty to national Democrats, primary scars, and her ongoing brazen hypocrisy.
5 key points to keep in mind for Tuesday’s primary…
Unprepared to lead
- In recent interviews and debates, Greenfield proved unprepared for simple questions and unable to explain her blatant hypocrisy. When asked by The Des Moines Register Editorial Board about foreign policy, Greenfield stumbled for more than a minute unable to answer the question. Later pressed in the Iowa PBS debate about decriminalizing illegal immigration, Greenfield refused to even answer the follow-up question.
Greenfield hid from public events for months by following Washington Democrats’ “windowless basement” strategy of avoiding voters and the media. It was clear that when she re-emerged to debate, she was utterly unprepared.
Evicted Iowa small businesses to make way for multinational corporations
- A report showed Greenfield evicted mom and pop small businesses in Iowa to make way for a multinational corporation. Greenfield has billed herself as a successful real estate executive, but her decision that left local small businesses “blindsided” will pose challenges for her campaign. (Washington Free Beacon, May 1, 2020)
Loyal to Washington Democrats
- National Journal and Roll Call have both taken a look at how national Democrats were forced to pour-in more than $8 million to prop up their pick in the Iowa Senate race. The largest influx of support came primarily from Democrat Chuck Schumer’s Senate Majority PAC, which ran more than $7 million worth of ads boosting Greenfield’s struggling campaign. Washington liberals like Elizabeth Warren and left-wing groups like Emily’s List also rallied behind her candidacy.
In response to the financial support, Greenfield offered glowing praise for Democrat leader Chuck Schumer, telling Morning Consult that he “has done a wonderful job” and that “he certainly has stood up to lead and has stayed focused on hard-working Americans and their needs, and in my opinion, that really does make him a good leader.”
Democrats Divided
- Iowa Democrats have not taken kindly to Washington special interests having so much influence on the primary election results. The Des Moines Register reported that the Democratic primary has turned especially “contentious” in the final weeks. But for months, Greenfield’s opponents have called her out for refusing to denounce the large sums of outside money benefiting her candidacy. The Gazette reported that local Democrat leaders even wrote a letter to the DSCC urging them to quit their meddling. The divisive primary will leave Greenfield alienated from voters she will desperately need in November.
Plagued with brazen hypocrisy
- Despite pledging to reject corporate PAC money, Greenfield has received nearly $200,000 from leadership PACs that rely on corporate PAC donations. This is in addition to the more than $600,000 she has received from corporate CEOs and executives, and the more than $66,000 from corporate lobbyists. This is all on top of the millions of dollars of support she received from Senate Majority PAC, which The Des Moines Register reported relies heavily on corporate donations.
Greenfield’s opponents and the media have continually criticized her for corporate PAC hypocrisy, and have even offered her opportunities to denounced the money, but she has refused.
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