Dear MoveOn member,
Last night, Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst spoke at the Republican National Convention and claimed that a President Joe Biden would ban farm animals.1
That's right. Republicans are so desperate they're telling Iowans that Democrats want to ban farm animals. Cable commentators burst out laughing it was so absurd.2
That's not the only laughable thing she said yesterday. Ernst sent out a fundraising email for Donald Trump's campaign calling Trump "the hero we need."3 On top of that, she has voted with Trump and Mitch McConnell more than 90% of the time, helping to earn her one of the worst approval ratings in the country.4,5
Ernst is running for re-election this year and her race against Democrat Theresa Greenfield is neck and neck. In fact, the last three polls in a row from Iowa have shown Ernst losing.6 And here's the best part: If Joni Ernst loses re-election, Mitch McConnell will almost surely lose his Senate majority.
Republican megadonors are going to do everything they can to keep Ernst in the Senate, which is why we are aiming to raise $100,000 for Theresa Greenfield in the next 24 hours—to show Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Joni Ernst, and their dark-money donors that our grassroots movement is more powerful than their lies.
John, will you chip in $3 now to Theresa Greenfield's campaign?
No other Republican in such a close re-election campaign has showed up to speak at the Republican National Convention to heap praise on Trump.7 Republicans like Susan Collins, Martha McSally, and Cory Gardner know that Trump is politically toxic and don't want to be anywhere near him.
So when Joni Ernst appeared at the RNC, it was clearly a risk. Then she made it worse with bizarre claims that if Joe Biden is elected, he would ban farm animals—and gas-powered cars. She also said that Obama-Biden clean water rules regulated "97 percent of land in Iowa, in some cases even puddles." The New York Times' real time fact-checkers said "there's no basis for that claim."8
Raising $100,000 in grassroots donations for Theresa Greenfield's campaign against Ernst would be amazing. It would show Ernst and McConnell that we have them on the ropes.
Will you donate $3 to Theresa Greenfield and help defeat Joni Ernst?
While Joni Ernst has spent her time carrying water for the Trump administration, Theresa Greenfield has been hard at work supporting Iowans and pushing for policies that will benefit the many, rather than the few.
A native Iowan who grew up on a family farm, Theresa has seen firsthand the devastating realities of climate change on rural communities and small businesses and will fight for legislation to tackle the climate crisis. Sen. Ernst, on the other hand, doesn't even admit that climate change exists.9
As a young widow and single mother of two children, Theresa relied on Social Security survivor benefits and will fight to protect Social Security. Sen. Ernst has said she only wants to discuss Social Security "behind closed doors."10
Theresa is a proud supporter of Planned Parenthood and is committed to fighting for abortion access and reproductive health care for all people, no matter where they live or how much money they make. Sen. Ernst has repeatedly introduced bills in Congress to defund Planned Parenthood and make it even more difficult for low-income people to access abortion.11
Theresa supports the Black Lives Matter movement, will push for the restoration of the Voting Rights Act when in the Senate, and supports policing reforms to end the epidemic of police violence against Black Americans and people of color. Sen. Ernst said that the protesters demanding racial justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd were "just trying to be provocative."12
Joni Ernst has proven over and over again that she does not deserve her seat in the Senate. Theresa Greenfield does.
Thanks for all you do.
–Allison, Amy, Jennifer, Julia, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Iowa's Joni Ernst ties her reelection prospects to Trump with speech at the RNC," Vox, August 27, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/142292?t=5&akid=272399%2E40999114%2EHHn_h0
2. "Joni Ernst Becomes A Laughingstock By Claiming Biden Will Ban Farm Animals," PoliticusUSA, August 26, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/142293?t=7&akid=272399%2E40999114%2EHHn_h0
3. "Joni Ernst Sells Out Iowa In RNC Speech," Iowa Starting Line, August 26, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/142291?t=9&akid=272399%2E40999114%2EHHn_h0
4. "Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump," FiveThirtyEight, accessed August 27, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/142286?t=11&akid=272399%2E40999114%2EHHn_h0
5. "Senator Rankings," Morning Consult, accessed August 27, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/115730?t=13&akid=272399%2E40999114%2EHHn_h0
6. "Iowa U.S. Senate Polls," FiveThirtyEight, accessed August 27, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/142294?t=15&akid=272399%2E40999114%2EHHn_h0
7. "Here's the full list of speakers for the 2020 RNC. (A lot are named Trump)" Fast Company, August 24, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/142295?t=17&akid=272399%2E40999114%2EHHn_h0
8. "Fact-Checking Night 3 of the Republican National Convention," The New York Times, August 27, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/142296?t=19&akid=272399%2E40999114%2EHHn_h0
9. "Denying the truth of climate change hurts Iowa's farmers," The Gazette, June 7, 2017
https://act.moveon.org/go/142288?t=21&akid=272399%2E40999114%2EHHn_h0
10. "Sen. Ernst says lawmakers should discuss fixing Social Security 'behind closed doors,'" The Washington Post, September 5, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/142289?t=23&akid=272399%2E40999114%2EHHn_h0
11. "Sen. Joni Ernst Puts Planned Parenthood—And Access To Birth Control—On The Chopping Block," The Intercept, February 10, 2017
https://act.moveon.org/go/142282?t=25&akid=272399%2E40999114%2EHHn_h0
12. "What Joni Ernst Thinks Of Iowa's Black Lives Matter Protests," Iowa Starting Line, June 24, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/142290?t=27&akid=272399%2E40999114%2EHHn_h0
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