A roundup of campaign news items of interest:
POTENTIALLY VULNERABLE: Gov. Kim Reynolds is seen as “potentially vulnerable” in her bid for a second term, according to an election forecast for U.S. News.
“Reynolds has been more of a cultural warrior than some had expected when she first took office,” according to the analysis by Lou Jacobson.
But if Iowa’s economy continues its strong recovery from the pandemic, Reynolds is the favorite in the 2022 gubernatorial race, Jacobson said, noting the state has trended conservative in recent years. In 2020, former President Donald Trump carried the state by 8 percentage points, and Sen. Joni Ernst won reelection by 7 points.
Democrats are lining up to challenge Reynolds. Rep. Ras Smith of Waterloo is seeking the party’s nomination. Des Moines businesswoman Deidre DeJear has formed an exploratory committee. Others are expected to join the race.
BUILD THE BENCH: Former Iowa House Speaker Linda Upmeyer is launching a statewide “build the bench” campaign to recruit more Republican women to run for public office.
Upmeyer, the first female speaker of the Iowa House and now co-chairwoman of the Republican Party of Iowa, said the party tries to recruit the best candidates regardless of gender. However, she’s found that women typically have to be asked to run because they don’t see themselves as candidates.
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Originally Appeared Here