Iowa Democratic Party leaders say having Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket will be a game changer in the final 99 days of the 2024 campaign.
Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart greeted a crowd of about 450 at a party fundraiser Saturday night. “The one word I keep hearing over and over again is excitement,” Hart said.
Lanon Baccom, the Democratic nominee in Iowa’s third congressional district, told the crowd it’s clear something’s happening. “We’ve had more folks knocking on doors today than we have at any point in this campaign,” Baccam said Saturday.
Pam Jochum, the leader of Democrats in the Iowa Senate, said having President Biden step aside and endorse Harris is having a trickle down effect. “Kamala Harris’ candidacy has brought an explosion of new energy and enthusiasm,” Jochum said.
House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst said along with the change at the national level, there are local reasons the prospects for Iowa Democrats are rising. Konfrst said Republican moves to overhaul Area Education Agency services and use state tax dollars to cover private tuition are unpopular with voters. “They do not want extreme abortion bans, threats to birth control and invitro fertilization,” Konfrst said. “Iowans are fed up, they’re furious about this abortion ban.”
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is in the national spotlight as Harris considers him as a potential running mate and he was the closer for Saturday’s fundraiser. (Listen to his speech here.) Beshear described himself and Harris as unifiers. “Democrats govern well because we care, we genuinely care not just about people of our party,” Beshear said, “but all of the people we serve.”
Iowa Republican Party spokesman Luke Wolff issued a written statement before Beshear’s speech. He called Beshear an “out of touch governor with an awful track record.”
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