Wow:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, has reportedly canceled meetings with major editorial boards in the state.
The cancelation was made public by The Des Moines Register's Rekha Basu, a columnist for the paper in a Facebook post:
Is Joni Ernst afraid of newspaper editorial boards? After much negotiating, she was scheduled to meet his morning with writers and editors at The Des Moines Register, but last night her people called to unilaterally cancel. She has also begged off meetings with The Cedar Rapids Gazette and The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald.
Is Ernst that sensitive to the kinds of criticisms that invariably will come in such a high profile U.S. Senate race? Is she afraid of the scrutiny? Sure, it's stressful, but all the other candidates for Congress are doing it to get their messages out, including Steven King, the target of frequent editorial criticism. Would Ernst similarly thumb her nose at the press while serving in the Senate? - TPM, 10/23/14
Timing is everything, especially after the Des Moines Register slammed Ernst on her support for Personhood:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/...
Would miscarriages be investigated by law enforcement to make sure there were no nefarious actions involved? When a woman swallowed legal medication to terminate a pregnancy, would she face murder charges? If a fetus is really a "person," a pregnant mother not seeking prenatal care might be engaging in child neglect.
Such an amendment would go too far. It is simply another of the many political tactics politicians have engaged in to get "on the record" people's votes opposing, or supporting, abortion.
Ernst's assertion that a personhood amendment is "simply a statement that I support life" is naive. Amending the Iowa Constitution is a big deal. And it's a rare event, having been done fewer than 50 times since the constitution was adopted. A proposed amendment needs to be approved by both the Iowa House and Senate in two consecutive general assemblies and then approved by voters in the next general election.
Let's hope candidates seeking to represent our state and its residents understand that constitutional amendments are not simply personal statements from politicians that have no meaning or consequences in the real world.
And let's hope they understand the implications of amendments they say they want added to the document that is the foundation of life in Iowa today. - Des Moines Register, 10/21/14
This isn't the only bad press Ernst has received this week:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Joni Ernst, the Iowa Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, failed to disclose her ownership of an income-generating rental property on financial disclosure reports filed with the Senate.
Ernst campaign spokeswoman Gretchen Hamel told The Huffington Post Tuesday that the campaign would "immediately" amend the disclosure reports.
The reports fail to list Ernst's industrial property in Red Oak, Iowa, which had an assessed value last year of $54,830. The property generated at least $1,200 in income for Ernst in 2013, according to Ernst's campaign.
Ernst is locked in a tight Senate race against Democratic U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley to replace retiring Sen. Tom Harkin (D). The outcome may determine which party controls the Senate.
"The campaign inadvertently left off $100 of monthly rental income from a property used for storage and parking," Hamel said in a statement to HuffPost. "She reported this income and paid taxes on it. We are filing an amended report to correct it immediately."
U.S. Senate ethics rules require candidates, and senators, to disclose assets that generate income. Since announcing her candidacy for the Senate in July 2013, Ernst has filed two formal disclosure reports, neither mentioning the property or the income from it. - Huffington Post, 10/21/14
And now we have this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Joni Ernst, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Iowa, said during an NRA event in 2012 that she would use a gun to defend herself from the government.
“I have a beautiful little Smith & Wesson, 9 millimeter, and it goes with me virtually everywhere,” Ernst said at the NRA and Iowa Firearms Coalition Second Amendment Rally in Searsboro, Iowa. “But I do believe in the right to carry, and I believe in the right to defend myself and my family -- whether it’s from an intruder, or whether it’s from the government, should they decide that my rights are no longer important.”
Ernst made the remark a little more than a month after gunman James Holmes allegedly killed 12 people and injured 58 in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Ernst’s campaign did not respond to The Huffington Post's request for comment about the remark on Wednesday evening. - Huffington Post, 10/23/14
Of course the race between her and Braley still remains competitive:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in the state, leads Rep. Bruce Braley (IA), the Democratic nominee, 48 percent to 46 percent among likely voters.
That's according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. The poll's findings seem to slightly reverse the trends of two recent polls which showed Ernst leading by just a single percentage point.
A previous Quinnipiac University poll conducted earlier in the month found Ernst leading Braley 47 percent to 45 percent. - TPM, 10/23/14
The poll was conducted among 964 likely voters. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. The poll was conducted from October 15 to October 21. Braley though has been leading in early voting but turnout will still matter. Click here to donate and get involved with Braley's campaign:
http://www.brucebraley.com/