Trump’s endorsement did not help Feenstra or was insufficient
Kudos to Feenstra for quickly offering help to Lahn to keep Iowa Red
Zach Lahn is the best candidate to take on Democrat Sand
What we hope Trump will say soon
Final statewide results here. Scott County results here. Dems had a contested US Senate race and 3 of 4 congressional districts. Total Republican votes cast statewide for their contested Governor’s race, Senate race and 2 of 4 CD was about 212,000. Democrats cast about 192,000
As to Trump’s endorsements in the Iowa primaries, his were always more score-sheet padding but he failed on the big one in Iowa. Like so many of his picks his choices were already overwhelming advance favorites – incumbency of a sort, established name ID, the support of certain powers that be, lots of money relative to the opponent(s). Feenstra had at least twice as much as Lahn and dwarfed the others. The opponents of every Trump pick were more MAGA than Trump’s picks but were overwhelming underdogs.
Hinson and Feenstra (Trump’s loosing pick for Governor) as congressmen were weak in pursuit of voter integrity after November 2020 chicanery was evident and as regards Jan. 6. They had jaundiced statements about Trump and Jan 6, indeed I think all of our delegation did to include Grassley. Nevertheless Trump did the icky political thing and endorsed based on perceived likelihood. Trump is and always was a politician. One can argue his endorsements were cognitive as regards the federal candidates but not so much when it came to the premier race – the governor’s race — and Trump’s guy in total was repudiated and primarily by a vibrant upstart.
Trumps federal picks were over-whelming winners and Trumps influence was hardly decisive. If Trump’s influence is decisive how come Feenstra lost in a multi-candidate array? Hinson (Trump’s US Senate pick) wins roughly 3 to 1 in a head to head. Feenstra (Trump’s pick) garners only 36% and looses. Trump neither understood what was going on in Iowa nor had a good instinct about Feenstra’s comparative electability. But certain powers that be whispered in his ear.
If endorsements are useful, more so in this Republican primary was Steve King’s endorsement of Lahn and that Turning Point USA also endorsed Lahn. Who is more Iowa MAGA than Steve King! Feenstra had the endorsement of the Iowa swamp and Trump. Ironically Iowa helped propel Trump in 2016 giving him a close second to Ted Crus. But Trump did not invent MAGA, he read the room, saw the field plowed by the so-cons, the Reagan conservatives and the TEA party activists that dominated county platforms. Some of the candidates in 2016 were harder core on the border disaster than Trump. Steve King was pilloried by the Iowa swamp for being no more “controversial” than Trump on the matter. But Trump saddled up to the guy the swamp ousted King with. Ironies abound.
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Local surprise was the execrable Democrat incumbent State Representative Ken Croken being wiped out in a primary. Will be interested to hear the back story on that one — insights appreciated.
