Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

2 hours ago

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

2 hours ago

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

2 hours ago

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

2 hours ago

Republicans Tee up House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain

3 hours ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

3 hours ago

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

3 hours ago

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

2 days ago
Iowa Republicans Oust Rep. King, Shunned for Insensitive Remarks
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
June 3, 2020

Share

DES MOINES, Iowa — Republicans in northwest Iowa ousted Rep. Steve King in Tuesday’s primary, deciding they’ve had enough of the conservative lightning rod known for making incendiary comments about immigrants and white supremacy throughout his nearly two decades in Congress.

“I said from day one that Iowans deserve a proven, effective conservative leader that will deliver results and I have done that in the Iowa Senate, being in the Iowa Legislature for the last 12 years, and I promise you I will deliver results in Congress.” —  Sen. Randy Feenstra
The nine-term congressman, shunned by his party leadership in Washington and many of his longtime supporters at home, lost to well-funded state Sen. Randy Feenstra in a five-way GOP primary. The challengers argued that King’s loss of clout, even more than his continuous string of provocative and racially-charged statements, was reason enough for turning on him.
“I said from day one that Iowans deserve a proven, effective conservative leader that will deliver results and I have done that in the Iowa Senate, being in the Iowa Legislature for the last 12 years, and I promise you I will deliver results in Congress,” Feenstra said during a Facebook Live appearance with his family behind him.
Iowa Democrats also chose a challenger for Republican freshman Sen. Joni Ernst in a race earlier thought to heavily favor Ernst until her approval shrank over the past year. Des Moines businesswoman Theresa Greenfield, who raised the most money and garnered the widest cross-section of the Iowa Democratic coalition of elected officials and labor unions, won the nomination over three others.
But the focus was on the 4th District primary featuring King, the lone Republican in Iowa’s U.S. House delegation.
King was stripped of his committee assignments in 2019 for comments appearing to question the criticism of white nationalism in an era of increased sensitivity among Republicans nationally about the alt-right and white supremacists. He wondered aloud in a New York Times story about when the term “white supremacist” became offensive. King said the remarks were taken out of context.
The 71-year-old had piled up provocative statements throughout the years, comparing immigrants to livestock and appeared to make light of rape and incest in defending his anti-abortion views.
Photo of Sen. Joni Ernst
FILE – In this May 19, 2020, file photo, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks with reporters after a Senate Republican weekly luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington. Four relatively unknown Iowa Democrats are competing in a primary Tuesday to take on Ernst. The endeavor was once viewed as a long shot. But Ernst’s slip in approval and the rallying of Iowa and national Democrats behind one of the four has the race receiving a second look. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

King Was Vastly Outspent by Feenstra and Conservative Groups Backing Him

Critics in both parties charged that King was no longer an effective representative for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District on agriculture and other local issues.
Establishment Republicans suggested King’s ouster would easily keep the seat in the party’s hands, warning a King primary victory would jeopardize it. Feenstra faces Democrat J.D. Schoulten, who lost by 2 percentage points to King in 2018.
King was vastly outspent by Feenstra and conservative groups backing him, including onetime King backer National Right to Life, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business lobbying group.
“I called Randy Feestra a little bit ago and conceded the race to him, and I pointed out that there’s some powerful elements in the swamp and he’s going to have an awfully hard time pushing back against them,” King said, referring to outside groups that spent to support Feenstra and attack King. “He assured me that’s what he would do, and I’m thinking of those super PACs that came into this race and how powerful they are.”
Several of King’s former supporters shrugged at the litany of comments that fueled the congressman’s love-hate relationship with national media. However, they drew the line not with the comments published in the Times story but the reaction by House GOP leadership.
King was tossed from the Judiciary Committee, which would have given him a high profile role defending President Donald Trump during the 2019 impeachment hearings. He also lost his seat on the agriculture panel, a blow to the representative whose district produced more agricultural products in raw dollars than any district but Nebraska’s massive 3rd District, according to the most recent federal data.
“I personally feel very let down about some of the things that have happened because we need someone who is strong in agriculture from this area,” said former King supporter, state Sen. Annette Sweeney, who backed Feenstra.
King said during the campaign he had been assured privately by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy that he’d support King’s reinstatement on the committees, a claim McCarthy dismissed publicly to reporters last month.

Ernst’s Job Approval and Overall Favorable Ratings Have Dropped in the Past Year

State Rep. Ashley Hinson won her two-way Republican primary to face freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer. State Sen. Mariannette Miller Meeks won a five-way race to face former state Sen. Rita Hart in Iowa’s 2nd District, the seat held by retiring Democrat Dave Loebsack. And former U.S. Rep. David Young won a two-way GOP race to run against Democrat Cindy Axne, who beat him for reelection in 2018.
Democrats chose from four relative unknowns to take on Ernst in what has has shaped up to be a more competitive Senate race than expected.
Ernst’s job approval and overall favorable ratings have dropped in the past year as she has sought to balance support for President Donald Trump, who is popular with Republicans but far less so among others in the state.
Greenfield had the edge, in part because of her compelling story of being widowed as a young mother and owing her rebound to Democratic priorities, Social Security and union benefits.
Perhaps most notably, the 55-year-old Greenfield impressed with her fundraising, bringing in more than $7 million since entering the race last year. That’s at least $5 million more than any of her Democratic opponents and reflects the endorsement of the Democrats’ national Senate campaign arm.
While Ernst has lost some of her footing, it’s difficult to say how the Senate race proceeds in light of the continuing pandemic, the uncertain economy and now protests over over police treatment of African Americans, including in Iowa where Trump won by more than 9 percentage points in 2016.
“Anybody who can predict what the state of the economy will be, any sense of community people have, where the partisan tendencies go between now and November, it’s just really hard to say,” said senior Ernst adviser David Kochel.
One recent data point, lost on many except Iowa Democratic leaders amid the ongoing crises: Registered Democrats in Iowa edged registered Republicans in March for the first time in more than six years.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

DON'T MISS

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

DON'T MISS

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

DON'T MISS

Bryan Kohberger to Plead Guilty to Murders of Four Idaho Students

DON'T MISS

Dear Mayor and City Council, Fresno’s Housing Bottlenecks Are a Modern Form of Redlining

DON'T MISS

Iran Enacts Law Suspending Cooperation With UN Nuclear Watchdog

DON'T MISS

Valley Children’s Goes Into News Business to Highlight Stories at the Hospital

DON'T MISS

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

DON'T MISS

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Logan Ryan Martin

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

Zohran Mamdani Officially Wins Democratic Primary for New York City Mayor

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

UP NEXT

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

UP NEXT

Tesla Executive, Elon Musk Confidant Leaves EV Maker, Bloomberg News Reports

UP NEXT

How a Birthday Boat Ride on Lake Tahoe Turned Tragic

UP NEXT

Cuomo Concedes to Mamdani in New York City Democratic Mayoral Contest

UP NEXT

Mamdani Holds Lead Over Cuomo in Democratic Primary for NYC Mayor

Bryan Kohberger to Plead Guilty to Murders of Four Idaho Students

43 minutes ago

Dear Mayor and City Council, Fresno’s Housing Bottlenecks Are a Modern Form of Redlining

1 hour ago

Iran Enacts Law Suspending Cooperation With UN Nuclear Watchdog

2 hours ago

Valley Children’s Goes Into News Business to Highlight Stories at the Hospital

2 hours ago

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

2 hours ago

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Logan Ryan Martin

2 hours ago

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

2 hours ago

Meta’s Instagram Down for Thousands of Users in US, Downdetector Shows

2 hours ago

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

2 hours ago

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

A California Highway Patrol officer died early Wednesday after suffering a suspected medical emergency while on duty in West Los Angeles, au...

8 minutes ago

A California Highway Patrol officer died early Wednesday, July 2, 2025, after a suspected medical emergency caused his patrol vehicle to crash in Los Angeles. (CHP)
8 minutes ago

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

A general view shows destruction in North Gaza, as seen from Israel, May 27, 2025 (REUTERS/Amir Cohen TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
20 minutes ago

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

San Francisco Housing Development
39 minutes ago

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

Bryan Kohberger, right, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, is escorted into a courtroom to appear at a hearing in Latah County District Court, in Moscow, Idaho, U.S., September 13, 2023. (Reuters File)
43 minutes ago

Bryan Kohberger to Plead Guilty to Murders of Four Idaho Students

1 hour ago

Dear Mayor and City Council, Fresno’s Housing Bottlenecks Are a Modern Form of Redlining

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, June 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Iran Enacts Law Suspending Cooperation With UN Nuclear Watchdog

2 hours ago

Valley Children’s Goes Into News Business to Highlight Stories at the Hospital

A makeshift memorial for victims of the MS-13 gang in Central Islip, N.Y., Aug. 28, 2017. Top gang leaders being sent back to El Salvador were part of a lengthy federal investigation that has amassed evidence of a corrupt pact between the government of President Nayib Bukele government and MS-13. (Chang W. Lee/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend