Joni Ernst (file photo)
With less than three months now before the November election, the barrage of campaign advertising for Iowa’s U.S Senate race continues, but this week it’s the two candidates rather than outside groups using Iowa’s broadcast space, trying to influence voters. This morning Republican Joni Ernst releases a biographical ad, focused on her two decades of service in the Iowa National Guard.
In late July, the Ernst campaign held an event with her fellow soldiers and other veterans where she talked about the Guard.
“It’s Iowans helping Iowans and we saw that every single day that we were deployed,” Ernst said.
The new Ernst ad stresses that during times of natural disaster, the Guard helps Iowans, regardless of which party they may belong to and she’s been making that case in speeches, too.
“It is something that I feel very strongly about, service,” Ernst said July 28th. “…However we can help our communities, that’s what’s important.”
Bruce Braley at the Iowa State Fair.
On Tuesday, Democrat Bruce Braley’s campaign released an ad featuring a father talking about Braley’s efforts to protect soldiers from sexual assault. It aims to highlight Braley’s work across party lines to get things done in congress. Braley talked about that theme during his speech at the Iowa State Fair, mentioning his youth in Brooklyn, Iowa.
“When people in Brooklyn had a problem they asked for your help and they got it and that’s what Iowans expect from their senators,” Braley said.
Both campaigns have raised a significant amount of money to bankroll ad campaigns, but it’s likely outside groups will spend more than either Braley or Ernst does on this race. With polls showing the race neck-in-neck, Iowa’s U.S. Senate race will be among the most expensive in the country.