Congressman Bruce Braley (D. IA-01), who is running for Senator Tom Harkin's (D. IA) seat, scored a big endorsement:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/...
Vice President Joe Biden called on Democrats to support Bruce Braley’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, warning of threats to the party’s achievements if Republicans gain control of the chamber.
The remarks came during a fundraiser reception Sunday afternoon at Principal Park in Des Moines, where Biden met a smaller crowd of activists, politicians and donors ahead of U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry in Indianola.
Harkin will retire when his current term ends, setting up an open U.S. Senate race in Iowa for the first time in 40 years.
The lone Democrat to declare his candidacy for the seat so far is Braley, a four-term congressman from Waterloo.
Speaking from the ballpark mezzanine, Biden said keeping the seat Democratic is critically important because of changes that have occurred within the Republican Party.
“This is not your father’s Republican Party,” he said. “We’re dealing with a different breed of cat, as my uncle used to say. These guys aren’t bad. I’m not making moral judgments, but they have a fundamentally different view of America than we do — a fundamentally different view.” - The Des Moines Register, 9/16/13
Biden and Harkin, who were joined by San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro (D. TX), had wonderful things to say about Braley:
http://www.iowastatedaily.com/...
“Folks, you have been so kind and generous to me in all of the years I have represented you in both the House and 30 years in the Senate,” Harkin said. “I want you to know there is only one person I want to pass that baton to, and that’s our next United States’ senator, Bruce Braley.”
Braley also got support from Castro.
The mayor from San Antonio focused his speech on education and the capabilities for middle-class Americans to be able to afford education of any level.
Biden then took the stage by also endorsing Braley’s campaign for in the race for senator.
“I’ve gotten to get to know Bruce,” Biden said. “Tom admires him, and it’s why I think he is going to be a great senator. He is absolutely authentic. I told Bruce I would come campaign for him or against him, whichever would help him most.”
Biden then talked about the issues with which President Barack Obama currently is dealing.
He talked about the plan to end the war in Afghanistan, helping the middle class and employment, as well as continuing with the Affordable Health Care Act. - Iowa State Daily, 9/13/13
Of course the press also believed Biden's visit to Iowa might hint at a 2016 President run for the Vice President:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/...
Knowing his trip to Iowa - the first voting state in the presidential primary process - would spark a flurry of 2016 speculation, Biden opened up his remarks with a wink to the press.
"It's amazing when you come to speak at the steak fry, a whole lot of people seem to take notice. I don't know why the hell that is," Biden joked. "You've attracted the entire national press corps here."
The vice president lauded Harkin, who was holding his annual event for the 36th time. The longtime senator announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election in 2014, creating an open Senate race in Iowa for the first time in decades.
Before Biden took the podium, Harkin pointed to Biden's previous two bids for president and his numerous trips to the Hawkeye State.
"He spent so much time in Iowa, he has friends all over this state," Harkin said. "I'm sure he's an Iowan at heart." - CNN, 9/15/13
Another big name will be hitting the campaign trail for Braley soon:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) will make a rare campaign appearance for Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), who is running for U.S. Senate, according to a release from his campaign.
Giffords along with her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, will headline a fundraiser in Des Moines on Oct. 27.
Giffords was shot in the head in January 2011 and resigned her seat one year later to focus on her recovery. She appeared in several states to advocate for gun safety measures and met with senators to urge them to vote for a bill strengthening background checks that ultimately failed.
Braley, a rural Iowa congressman, is outspoken on gun control. He told The Huffington Post in June that he probably would have voted against the background checks measure in the Senate because it was not strong enough. - Huffington Post, 9/13/13
If you would like to donate to Braley's campaign, you can do so here:
https://brucebraley.zissousecure.com/...