Skip to content Skip to search

Republish This Story

* Please read before republishing *

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license as long as you follow our republishing guidelines, which require that you credit The 19th and retain our pixel. See our full guidelines for more information.

To republish, simply copy the HTML at right, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to The 19th. Have questions? Please email [email protected].

— The Editors

Loading...

Modal Gallery

/
Sign up for our newsletter

Menu

  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships
    • From the Collection

      Changing Child Care

      Illustration of a woman feeding a baby a bottle
      • 1 in 4 parents report being fired for work interruptions due to child care breakdowns

        Chabeli Carrazana · February 2
      • Washington, D.C., offers financial relief to local child care workers

        Orion Rummler · September 20
      • As climate change worsens hurricane season in Louisiana, doulas are ensuring parents can safely feed their babies

        Jessica Kutz · May 5
    • From the Collection

      Next-Gen GOP

      Illustration of a woman riding an elephant
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • A banner year for Republican women

        Amanda Becker · November 11
      • Republican women could double representation in the U.S. House

        Amanda Becker · November 4
    • From the Collection

      On The Rise

      Illustration of three women marching
      • Can Cheri Beasley build a winning coalition in North Carolina?

        Candice Norwood · October 11
      • Los Angeles has never elected a woman mayor. Karen Bass hopes to change that.

        Nadra Nittle · September 8
      • Judge J. Michelle Childs is confirmed to D.C. appeals court

        Candice Norwood · July 20
    • From the Collection

      Pandemic Within a Pandemic

      Illustration of four people marching for Black Lives Matter with coronavirus as the backdrop
      • Some LGBTQ+ people worry that the COVID-19 vaccine will affect HIV medication. It won’t.

        Orion Rummler · November 23
      • Why are more men dying from COVID? It’s a complicated story of nature vs. nurture, researchers say

        Mariel Padilla · September 22
      • Few incarcerated women were released during COVID. The ones who remain have struggled.

        Candice Norwood · August 17
    • From the Collection

      Portraits of a Pandemic

      Illustration of a woman wearing a mask and holding up the coronavirus
      • For family caregivers, COVID is a mental health crisis in the making

        Shefali Luthra · October 8
      • A new database tracks COVID-19’s effects on sex and gender

        Shefali Luthra · September 15
      • Pregnant in a pandemic: The 'perfect storm for a crisis'

        Shefali Luthra · August 25
    • From the Collection

      The 19th Explains

      People walking from many articles to one article where they can get the context they need on an issue.
      • The 19th Explains: What we know about Brittney Griner’s case and what it took to get her home

        Candice Norwood, Katherine Gilyard · December 8
      • The 19th Explains: Why the Respect for Marriage Act doesn’t codify same-sex marriage rights

        Kate Sosin · December 8
      • The 19th Explains: Why baby formula is still hard to find months after the shortage

        Mariel Padilla · December 1
    • From the Collection

      The Electability Myth

      Illustration of three women speaking at podiums
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • Stepping in after tragedy: How political wives became widow lawmakers

        Mariel Padilla · May 24
      • Do term limits help women candidates? New York could be a new testing ground

        Barbara Rodriguez · January 11
    • From the Collection

      The Impact of Aging

      A number of older people walking down a path of information.
      • From ballroom dancing to bloodshed, the older AAPI community grapples with gun control

        Nadra Nittle, Mariel Padilla · January 27
      • 'I'm planning on working until the day I die': Older women voters are worried about the future

        Mariel Padilla · June 3
      • Climate change is forcing care workers to act as first responders

        Jessica Kutz · May 31
    • From the Collection

      Voting Rights

      A series of hands reaching for ballots.
      • Connecticut voters approved early voting. Here’s how their new secretary of state wants to make it happen.

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 13
      • Women lawmakers in Minnesota are in the vanguard of the democracy movement

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 3
      • Election workers believe in our system — and want everyone else to, too

        Barbara Rodriguez, Jennifer Gerson · November 8

    View all collections

  • Explore by Topic

    • 19th Polling
    • Abortion
    • Business & Economy
    • Caregiving
    • Coronavirus
    • Education
    • Election 2020
    • Election 2022
    • Election 2024
    • Environment & Climate
    • Health
    • Immigration
    • Inside The 19th
    • Justice
    • LGBTQ+
    • Military
    • Politics
    • Press Release
    • Race
    • Sports
    • Technology

    View All Topics

Home
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Read our story.

The 19th Represents Summit

Don’t miss our biggest event of 2023!

Register Today

Become a member

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks during a confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool) (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool)

Election 2020

Competitive Senate races get a massive money boost from Democratic women

Out-of-state money is pouring in from Democrats looking to flip the Senate. But on the ground in Iowa, where Democrat Theresa Greenfield is challenging Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, it’s still about soybeans and corn.

By

Amanda Becker, Barbara Rodriguez

Published

2020-10-16 16:31
4:31
October 16, 2020
pm

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

In the hours after Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death in late September, Dawn Howard made $25 donations to five competitive U.S. Senate races — not in her home state of Kentucky, but in Arizona, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina. 

Howard, 41, said that in addition to casting her ballot in the Kentucky Senate race for Democrat Amy McGrath, who is trailing Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell in polls, she wanted to “look outward” to more competitive races where Democrats could pick up the three to four seats they need to control the chamber that McConnell currently leads.

“If he’s going to win, can we at least strip him of some power?” Howard said of her rationale.

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

From the beginning of July through the end of September, Democratic candidates in the dozen most competitive Senate races outraised their Republican opponents by a more than two-to-one margin, according to an analysis by The 19th of the available third quarter campaign filings due to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by October 15. Many of the races have a Republican woman on defense, a Democratic woman on offense, or both. 

More than 6.8 million donors collectively gave more than $1.5 billion to liberal causes and candidates via the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue during the third quarter — and Senate candidates benefited from the windfall.

Some donors, like Howard, were prompted to open their pocket book by Ginsburg’s death; others by the ongoing racial justice protests, the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the sustained backlash to Republican President Donald Trump. 

WinRed, a Republican online fundraising platform for conservative causes and candidates, brought in $623 million over the same period, they told POLITICO. 

The eye-popping fundraising tallies in Senate races this year are in large part due to high-dollar contributions coming from out-of-state donors. In addition, contributions from women have surged in comparison to past elections and skew Democratic, helping the Democratic candidates report fundraising hauls that are dwarfing those of the Republican opponents they are trying to unseat.

In Arizona, Democrat Mark Kelly, the husband of former U.S. House Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, raised $39 million during the third quarter while incumbent Republican Sen. Martha McSally raised $23 million. In Maine, where Democrat Sara Gideon’s lead over Republican Sen. Susan Collins has narrowed in recent weeks, Gideon brought in $39 million versus Collins’ $8.3 million, according to FEC filings. 

In many states, such as Iowa, the races have crushed records of the money raised and spent during past Senate elections. Democrat Theresa Greenfield’s campaign brought in $29 million during the third quarter, while incumbent Republican Sen. Joni Ernst’s campaign raised just $7.2 million, according to the government filings. Dark money groups, which do not coordinate with candidates but can spend money supporting or opposing them, have injected another $107 million, with slightly more than half of that sum benefitting Greenfield. 

Iowa’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, the first woman to lead the state, said that the massive amount of money has resulted in “back-to-back-to-back ads” against Ernst that have been “a bit of a challenge” for her. But, even as Ernst trailed Greenfield in opinion polls, Reynolds predicted that the one-term Senator would prevail. 

“She’s never forgotten who she is, she’s been to all four corners of the state and she really represents the values that Iowans have,” Reynolds said in a recent interview at “Joni’s Ride Across Iowa,” a coronavirus-era version of a charity motorcycle event that Ernst has hosted since she joined the Senate. 

“I may come out of this race a little bloody. I may come out a little bruised. I may have a few broken ribs along the way. But for heaven’s sake folks, I am going to cross that finish line first,” Ernst said at the event.

Many candidates, especially incumbents like Ernst, are trying to walk a fine line between the national interest in their race, including its potential impact on Senate control, with more local concerns. Iowa is 90 percent farmland and its top crops are corn and soybeans. Agriculture and wind energy are typically the bread-and-butter topics of congressional campaigns there. Both Ernst and Greenfield grew up on farms. 

In their recent debate on Thursday night, it was the most local of Iowan issues, corn and soybeans, that came to the fore.

The moderators asked Greenfield for the “break-even” price of a bushel of corn and Ernst for the “break-even” price of a bushel of soybeans. Greenfield said it would depend on debt, but a break-even price for corn was currently $3.68 to $3.69. “That’s correct,” the moderator responded.

Ernst initially began talking about how Trump’s trade agreements have impacted Iowa’s corn production. “I don’t think you answered my question: what’s the break-even price for soybeans in Iowa?” the moderator responded. “I think you had asked about corn, and it depends on what the inputs are, but probably about $5.50,” Ernst said. “You’re a couple of dollars off, I think here, because it’s $10.05,” the moderator said. “We’d asked for the price of soybeans from you senator, do you want to take another crack at it?” a second moderator asked. “No, thank you,” Ernst said. “Maybe I’m not hearing.”

Ernst’s spokesperson said there were audio issues and Ernst thought she and Greenfield had been asked the same question. Greenfield’s campaign asked supporters on Friday for donations in the amount of $10.05, saying Ernst’s response to the break-even price for soybeans question would “likely go down as one of as one of the worst answers in the history of Iowa debates.” 

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

The 19th Represents Summit

Don’t miss our biggest event of 2023!

Register Today

Become a member

Up Next

Protesters hold signs about the Affordable Care Act.

Election 2020

New polling shows that health care could shape the final weeks of the election

The ACA’s pre-existing protections are a top concern for Democrats and independent women, and most Americans support abortion protections.

Read the Story

The 19th
The 19th is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Our stories are free to republish in accordance with these guidelines.

  • Donate
  • Newsletter
  • Events
  • Search
  • Jobs
  • Fellowships
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Community Guidelines
  • Membership
  • Membership FAQ
  • Major Gifts
  • Sponsorship
  • Privacy
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram