Governor Terry Branstad has been saying for weeks that Republicans need to nominate an “Iowa problem solver” as their U.S. Senate nominee in 2014 and now he’s suggesting a southwest Iowa senator’s resume fits that bill.
“I think we need an Iowan who has state and local experience,” Branstad says.
Joni Ernst of Red Oak has served in the state senate since January of 2011 and she served as Montgomery County’s auditor before that. Branstad also points out she’s an officer in the Iowa National Guard.
“We’ve never had a woman senator from Iowa,” Branstad says. “I think she’s a prospect that could do it.”
In the past week two men have announced their candidacies for the GOP’s U.S. Senate nomination. David Young quit his job as Senator Grassley’s chief of staff and officially started his run for the senate last Saturday. Matt Whitaker, a former federal prosecutor who played football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, used a sports analogy Monday when he formally launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate.