I'm afraid this happened early enough that a) the stink will wear off in 1.5 years, or b) if her polling really does take a nosedive, she has enough time to decide not to run again. This would've been a great June 2026 gaffe.
I'm sure the Democratic nominee will use this recording in attack ads in 2026 to remind Iowa voters of her statement. The effectiveness of this attack will depend a lot on whether or not the "big, beautiful bill" actually passes. If it doesn't, then there's a good chance that the stink will wear off by the fall of next year.
If the bill passes, though, I think it'll definitely be an effective attack ad. In the 2014 Senate election, some people were saying that Bruce Braley's "farmer from Iowa" gaffe would be forgotten about by November 2014. Voters in Iowa never fully forgave him for that, and it's one reason why Joni Ernst won by a comfortable margin that year. The same thing could happen to Ernst next year, especially if the "big, beautiful bill" passes and voters in Iowa have to face the consequences of it.
I don't think Braley's "farmer from Iowa" comment had any real impact on the race. I just think Iowa was well within its pivot to becoming a red state by 2014 and Ernst's 8-point margin reflected the shift.
I don't know...comments like this form a lasting impression in people's minds, even if they forget the details of what was actually said. She let her constituents know she's callous and unconcerned about their lives. That may stick with them longer than the actual words she said. And there will be plenty of campaign ads reminding Iowans of exactly what she said. Her quote was so bad, and yet so emblematic of Republican policies, that I wouldn't be surprised to see her comments end up in ads in other states! They all think that way; Ernst just said it out loud, and her comments may end up being an albatross for all Republicans.
"My Senate career is going to die."
– Senator Jon Ernst, paraphrased
From your keyboard to God's ears...
Maybe she's just going through a Goth phase?
I'm afraid this happened early enough that a) the stink will wear off in 1.5 years, or b) if her polling really does take a nosedive, she has enough time to decide not to run again. This would've been a great June 2026 gaffe.
I'm sure the Democratic nominee will use this recording in attack ads in 2026 to remind Iowa voters of her statement. The effectiveness of this attack will depend a lot on whether or not the "big, beautiful bill" actually passes. If it doesn't, then there's a good chance that the stink will wear off by the fall of next year.
If the bill passes, though, I think it'll definitely be an effective attack ad. In the 2014 Senate election, some people were saying that Bruce Braley's "farmer from Iowa" gaffe would be forgotten about by November 2014. Voters in Iowa never fully forgave him for that, and it's one reason why Joni Ernst won by a comfortable margin that year. The same thing could happen to Ernst next year, especially if the "big, beautiful bill" passes and voters in Iowa have to face the consequences of it.
I don't think Braley's "farmer from Iowa" comment had any real impact on the race. I just think Iowa was well within its pivot to becoming a red state by 2014 and Ernst's 8-point margin reflected the shift.
I don't know...comments like this form a lasting impression in people's minds, even if they forget the details of what was actually said. She let her constituents know she's callous and unconcerned about their lives. That may stick with them longer than the actual words she said. And there will be plenty of campaign ads reminding Iowans of exactly what she said. Her quote was so bad, and yet so emblematic of Republican policies, that I wouldn't be surprised to see her comments end up in ads in other states! They all think that way; Ernst just said it out loud, and her comments may end up being an albatross for all Republicans.