Take another look at the long-shot candidate for congress in Iowa
...Sarah Corkery
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Sarah Corkery
I had the chance to interview Sarah Corkery in September, and found her refreshing, fun, engaging and mission-driven. There’s something authentic about a candidate who enters a race without the ‘benefit’ of high-paid consultants in so-called targeted races, and who challenge an incumbent based on their own lived experience and passion for issues.
That’s Corkery. And I titled the podcast column, Run Like Nobody’s Watching.
Yesterday, I asked Tim Wagner to pen an essay about Corkery’s race from his perspective as a raving fan from Decorah. Here it is:
How Sarah Corkery Wins Over Ashley Hinson
By Tim Wagner, November 3, 2024
I’ve never accepted what many have claimed. It started when a good friend of mine said last spring, “I love that Sarah Corkery has committed to running. But she has a snowball in hell chance of winning. ”
I simply responded with, “I wouldn’t be volunteering a lot of my time for her campaign if Ibelieved that. Furthermore, keep those thoughts to yourself, please. The last thing we needis someone spreading such predictions around. ”
He agreed.
Yes, anyone with any political campaign experience will tell you that a Democrat going up against a two-term incumbent Republican with a multi-million-dollar war chest, in a decidedly red state like Iowa, is definitely a long shot. But here we are two days before the election and I am very optimistic. For numerous reasons.
• Sarah is genuine, jubilant, and very likable! She has an honest story about the decision to run against Hinson, after she (a two-times breast cancer survivor) flew to Washington to lobby for passage of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Act, that would make Medicare and Medicaid funding more readily available for breast cancer survivors. Hinson told her no. Sarah decided the next day she was running. Upon her announcement, Hinson co-signed the bill.
• Breast cancer, healthcare, and reproductive rights for women should not be partisan issues. Sarah will tell you that, right up front. But Hinson and her Republican colleagues, have gone to extreme measures to make them partisan issues, all for the purpose of past, present and future election cycles. As Sarah has publicly accused Hinson during their Oct 14th televised debate, she is “playing politics with women’s lives. ” Many Iowa voters, particularly women voters, hold serious disdain for such bullshit.
• Speaking of reproductive rights, Sarah openly states this is her #1 issue. As a survivor of a near fatal birth, she is firmly committed to taking such personal decisions away from the government and putting them back into the hands of a woman and her doctor. And the majority of Iowa women, young and old, agreed with her. As does the majority of all Iowa voters, as polls continually demonstrate.
• Hinson has a very profound reputation for lying to her constituents. Examples abound, far more than there is room here to show. But one stands out, after national press reported that she tried to take credit for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that funded critical upgrades to Iowa’s lock and dam system on the Mississippi River. As news organizations reported, this occurred after she had voted ‘no’ on the bill. She still continually rails against the Biden administration for their “out-of-control spending” while bragging about bringing dollars back to her district.
Never mind that nearly $1.7B has poured into Hinson’s district from the various Biden-passed bills, funding over 1,200 municipal and county projects in transportation, healthcare, education, broadband, childcare, environment, etc., for thousands of new jobs and badly needed community improvements. And Hinson still brags she voted “no” against it all.
• Trump. Ashley not only praises DJT, but she also frequently posts pictures of herself with him. Iowans are seeing a woman who loves to boast about her role as a mother of two young boys (as she should), but contrasted by her full-on support for a conman convicted of multiple felons and sexual assault. How does this square with the average Iowa family?
• Demographics – In light of all the above, one can overlay it with some simple voter science. Hinson has cultured her identity with hard core Republican voters, the group that will most likely vote for her. Yes, this demographic is still very prevalent in red-state Iowa, particularly rural Iowa. Which would seem to be the only demographic supporting Hinson. Sarah Corkery, on the other hand, is pulling voters from numerous demographics.
a. Women, as shown by numerous state and national polls, are heavily trending towards Kamala Harris. As does Sarah, Harris has also made reproductive rights a signature issue. Hence, it’s hard to imagine that a vote for Harris isn’t a vote for Sarah Corkery.
b. Young voters, also shown by recent polling, are heavily trending towards Harris. Same logic.
c. Independent women, at least the ones I’ve talked too, are also supporting Harris, hence a similar down-ballot trend.
d. Disgruntled-by-Trump Republican voters. Let’s face it. There are a significant number of these voters. Again, Sarah may pull some of these.
e. Hispanic and other non-white voters. They are keenly aware of the rhetoric coming from both Trump and Hinson. They are the modern version of “The United States is a nation of immigrants” and don’t appreciate being referred to as “garbage” or “rapists.
f. The education voter: This encompasses all the above demographics. Iowans of all stripes are seeing firsthand how Kim Reynolds and her party are literally dismantling in front of their eyes the one thing that Iowa was always known for and proud of: our public education system. What that is doing to the state’s more rural and smaller school systems is profound and long-lasting. And they are pissed off! It’s no coincidence that Sarah Corkery has made this one of her top issues, even though it remained largely a state issue. Until Project 2025 was made public, which vows to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, as Trump has publicly stated he would do.
g. Lastly: The most recent Selzer Iowa poll that showed Harris leading Trump by three percentage points overall, a huge change from June before Biden dropped out, when he was trailing Trump by18 points. Again, the down ballot trend could be very real!
Do all these various demographics add up to more voters for Sarah Corkery than Ashley Hinson? No one can say, until after Tuesday. I suspect it’s going to be much closer than many thought possible. But I firmly believe that change is in the air.
Cedar Rapids Gazette Endorsement
2nd District
The race in the 2nd District pits Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson against Democratic newcomer Sarah Corkery and no-party candidate Jody Puffett.
Our endorsement goes to Corkery.
As with Miller-Meeks, Hinson cloaks her extreme stand on banning abortion by mentioning her support for exceptions. Corkery points out that Hinson opposed bills guaranteeing a right to contraception.
On immigration, Hinson basically repeats Republican talking points. Corkery supports the bipartisan immigration reform bill and questions whether Republicans are truly prolife after Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott installed razor wire on the border.
But the biggest red flag for us is Hinson’s unwavering support for Donald Trump’s agenda. She has been endorsed by Trump and has linked her campaign to his candidacy.
So, dear reader, the voter registration numbers are not on Corkery’s side, but this is an election like none other. I’m just saying, this race is worth another look. Julie
Did you see yesterday’s Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roundup? It’s terrific:
Other things to think about: The Cedar Rapids Gazette is a relatively strong, local newspaper. Circulation has been on the rise. It's employee-owned. The political team has a popular podcast and - from what I can tell - thoughtful management and long time employees, which means it has institutional memory.
Corkery is out of my district by a thin margin, but had we remained in the 1st district I certainly would vote for her! The simple fact that she is seriously invested in getting elected dispite no or very little support from the party, is a point that needs to be examined. She certainly isn't bought and paid for by those who would want to control her with their money! You can't get a politician these days to have the guts to walk away from an open wallet, and she never expected any help in the first place! Kicking Hinson down the road would be a blessing to Iowa!