Less a year before the 2020 election, there is no shortage of Democratic candidates in the race, and not just the race for president. The Iowa U.S. Senate race continues to heat up with the filing deadline for candidates looming in mid-March. This past week, one of the Democratic candidates stopped by Clarion to visit with voters and collect signatures to get on the ballot.
Candidate Theresa Greenfield held a brief campaign event last Wednesday evening at Timbukbrü in Clarion. According to recent polls, Greenfield is leading among the five Democratic candidates known to be running against Republican incumbent Joni Ernst. Greenfield has also been endorsed by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
During her stop in Clarion, Greenfield spent much of her time visiting with individuals, going from table to table, and introducing herself. Greenfield, who grew up on a farm outside of Bricelyn, MN, said right now her goals are to meet people, but also to raise money to support her candidacy.
When she addressed the dozen or so people at the event, she mostly spoke about her background and concerns she has been hearing as she has traveled across Iowa. As the daughter of farmers who went out of business due to the farming crisis in the 80s, Greenfield commiserated with people struggling in the ag industry. She also noted she is a union supporter, having received survivor benefits after her spouse, a union member, was killed when she was a young mother.
Greenfield noted that she has been hearing about five major concerns from Iowans in her travels. The biggest concern is healthcare. Though she did not expound much upon her own positions when it comes to healthcare, she noted improvements need to be made and criticized Joni Ernst for voting to end the Affordable Care Act.
Education was also a concern that Greenfield said is chief in the minds of Iowans. When Gary Meldrem, a Lake Cornelia resident and former educator, asked her about her plans to improve education, Greenfield again did not offer much for a position, but said she would work to make sure school districts have what they need and work to invest in the state.
Other topics she brought up included Iowa’s economy and big money in politics. She also discussed climate action as one of the five concerns for Iowans. She was interested in hearing from Wright County Democratic Party Chairperson Shannon Walker about her efforts to start a local food co-op. Greenfield affirmed that she supports the idea of building up the local food system.
While Greenfield mentioned many topics, she did not really detail many of her own plans or positions on issues. She more so indicated that her goal right now is to listen. At one point, she asked the crowd what they would like to see as her first bill when she is in office.
Greenfield’s lack of clear positions or at least publicizing them is a concern to some voters. Walker pointed out to the candidate her concern with the absence of positions on Greenfield’s website. Greenfield, for her part, stated that their social media and web presence will become more sophisticated over time.
Others in attendance noted that they are hopeful with the potential Greenfield shows. Meldrem, who knows the candidate, emphasized that he is confident she could “help straighten out the mess in Washington.”
Time will tell if Greenfield makes her way to Washington. For now, she worked the room gathering signatures and promised to “put Iowa first in the U.S. Senate” should she make it that far.
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