By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)
Campaigns spent the weekend focused on getting Iowans who haven’t yet cast a ballot to vote.
On Saturday morning, Liz Schuler, the national president of the AFL-CIO, met with union members who’d volunteered to go door-to-door to talk to prospective voters. “I’ve been all over this country and I am feeling the energy in Iowa,” she said, as the crowd cheered. “I am loving this.”
On Sunday afternoon, before President Trump spoke to a crowd in Dubuque, Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann focused on Tuesday’s turnout. “How many of you promise to call or give a ride to the polls to at least 10 people? Raise your hand! Raise your hand!” Kaufmann said, as the crowd cheered.
When Trump took the stahge, Trump made pitches for top Iowa Republican candidates and called Democrats extremists. “If we don’t defeat them we’re just asking for a much bigger fight later on,” Trump said. “And all I’m asking you to do is get out and vote.”
On Sunday night, Kentucky Senator Andy Beshear, the head of the Democratic Governors Association, spoke to supporters of Rob Sand’s campaign for governor. “You ready to knock more doors? Are you ready to make more calls? Are you ready to flip the US House? Are you ready to flip the US Senate? Are you ready to win this governor’s race?” Beshear asked, to cheers.
By Friday morning, state officials say over 440,000 Iowans had voted early. Sand told the crowd there’s work to do before the finish line on Tuesday night. “I’ve seen the polls. You’ve seen the polls. They look great. They’ve been wrong before. We’re not going to take it for granted,” Sand said. “We cannot take it for granted. The alternative is four more years of one-party control.”
Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn suggested Trump’s appearance in Dubuque was a signal. “This is our moment Iowa. This is it. They all think we are not motivated. Are we motivated?” Lahn asked and the Dubuque crowd cheered. “That’s right!”
Hinson, in a speech to the crowd before Trump arrived, said her race will decide whether Republicans or Democrats control the agenda in the U.S. Senate next year. “We need your vote and if you show up on Tuesday, Iowa will win. Our country will win. Can I count on you for your vote on Tuesday?” Hinson asked and the crowd cheered.
Josh Turek, the Democrat running for the U.S. Senate, spoke at a rally in his hometown of Council Bluffs last night. “This may be the closest election on the entire Senate map,” Turek said. “…Truth is, this may come down to a few hundred or a few thousand votes.”
The closest U.S. Senate race was in New Hampshire in 1974. After a second recount showed one candidate ahead by just two votes and hearings in the U-S Senate that failed to resolve the race, a do-over election was held in 1975. Voter turnout set a record and the margin of victory in that New Hampshire special election was 27,000 votes.
