Democrat Deidre DeJear campaigns with the Democratic ticket at University of Iowa homecoming
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Democrats Deidre DeJear, Mike Franken and Christina Bohannan campaigned together at the University of Iowa's homecoming parade Friday, hoping to find support in Iowa City as they each face a similar challenge in November: running against incumbent Republicans in the U.S. Senate, House and the Iowa governor's mansion.
The three rallied with supporters before, during and after the homecoming parade that afternoon after spending the early part of the day walking the streets of Iowa City and holding other events. They were joined by other down-ballot candidates running for state legislative seats and Johnson County Board of Supervisors.
DeJear, running for Iowa governor against incumbent Republican Governor Kim Reynolds, spoke to a room of supporters in the Masonic Lodge following the parade and stressed the urgency of the upcoming election and the need to turn out more voters. She said that unlike when Reynolds won her first term in office in 2018, "freedom is on the ballot" when it comes to voting rights, safety for school children from mass shootings and access to education.
"We need more people participating in the process and my question to you all who have already voted: 'Are you willing to go get somebody else to fight for our freedoms?'" DeJear said.
Earlier in the day, DeJear held a Black and Brown Town Hall in the Iowa City Public Library and over Zoom with Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague and local Latino organizer Manny Galvez. DeJear later toured Balance Autism in Coralville. Franken, running for U.S. Senate against longtime U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, stopped by Hamburg Inn No. 2 and spoke briefly to supporters before joining DeJear touring the Coralville nonprofit.
Iowa 1st Congressional District candidate Bohannan, whose headquarters sit in the middle of downtown Iowa City, spent the earlier part of the day campaigning across the state in Warren County before joining her fellow Democrats at the parade. Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor and Iowa state representative, is running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in one of the state's tighter congressional races.
Johnson County and Iowa City will be key for Iowa Democrats to win elections considered competitive like Bohannan's and Franken's. DeJear's race, while not considered as competitive as those two federal offices, will need high turnout in Iowa's bluest county even more.
Deidre DeJear, Bruce Teague and Manny Galvez discuss Latino and Black communities at town hall event
At noon, DeJear sat down with Teague and Galvez and a small room of supporters to discuss her candidacy and issues facing Black and Latino communities in Iowa.
DeJear was asked by Galvez how there has been increased aggression against Latinos in the U.S. and in Iowa and what she would do differently from Reynolds, and whether DeJear would support policies giving immigrant workers access to driver's licenses. Galvez said he thinks Reynolds, who has sent law enforcement officers to address immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, is sending a message that immigrants are not welcome.
"Unfortunately what we see from this current governor are policies that are restrictive, that are retaliatory, that are full of repercussions. Not policies that add to the overall fabric of who we are," DeJear said.
DeJear said the state should focus on helping Latinos in Iowa, who are working hard and are one of the fastest-growing communities and groups of business owners in Iowa. DeJear said she's helped Black and Latino communities start their businesses during her career and growing them.
"Working with our communities, what I've learned is that government cannot be a barrier. The government has to create a pathway and something so simple as offering a driver's license so people can transport to work and come home is something our state needs to do," she said.
DeJear said Iowa cannot survive without immigrant labor and the state needs leaders who see that. She said if Reynolds was lifting up the Latino community, the state would better see the value of Latinos in the state.
Teague asked DeJear about a study released in February that showed Iowa was the third-worst state for African Americans to live in the country. He said when he hears that as the mayor of Iowa City, it hurts him and asked for DeJear's response.
"When I hear that I think ... there's room for growth and it's only up from here," DeJear said.
DeJear said Black communities face struggles in Iowa, like in her home in Polk County where she said the average median income for African Americans is $30,000 less than all of Polk County and a higher percentage rent their home compared to the rest of the county.
DeJear said while national political campaigns often tout agendas focusing on different racial groups, her agenda is to be inclusive in her policies.
"We need elected officials who are inclusive in thought and how they are creating policy that best impacts all of us," DeJear said.
The three also talked about education, marijuana, climate change, affordable housing, labor and the ballot question asking whether Iowa should add a constitutional amendment that would add strict scrutiny protections for gun ownership, making it difficult for the state to pass restrictions on guns. The full livestream of the event can be viewed on the Votemos Juntos Facebook page.
DeJear has visited the area multiple times during her campaign, including for a candidate forum with the Johnson County Interfaith Coalition in the South District of Iowa City. After the event Friday, DeJear told the Iowa City Press-Citizen that she views Johnson County as key and wants people of all ages to show up and participate in the election.
"This is where you see the strongest intergenerational voter engagement than anywhere else in the county. We want to continue to lift that up and know that Johnson County has a powerful voice and I'm glad to be back during homecoming," she said.
Galvez, the founder of Iowa City's Latino Fest, has helped with a growing grassroots Latino organizing scene like Escucha Mi Voz, which fought for the Johnson County Direct Assistance Program that gave $1,400 direct stimulus checks to some residents. He said he thinks the Latino community in Iowa has started to show more interest in politics and understands how important it is to vote.
"I have no doubt that more Latinos, Latinas in the Latinx community are showing up in the polls," Galvez said.
Teague praised DeJear after the event, saying she is in tune with Iowans and knows the struggles of the state's residents and also what Iowans want to celebrate as a state with its strengths. He said it was clear from the town hall that education, climate action and marijuana are important and that it is time to prioritize what Iowans want on the ballot rather than politics.
"Right now I think it is very critical that we have a leader that is not afraid to have the hard conversations and to have all the voices at the table to ensure that together, we can work through whatever the situation is," Teague said.
More:Kim Reynolds and Deidre DeJear spar in their only Iowa governor debate. Here's what they said
Mike Franken calls U.S. Senate race 'revolutionary' while Christina Bohannan focuses on negative Republican ads
After the parade, Franken, DeJear and Bohannan spoke to a crowded room of those who marched in the homecoming parade with the Johnson County Democrats. All three expressed optimism about the upcoming election and hyped up the room in the Masonic Lodge on College Street to loud cheers and chants of support.
"There's more to do, but in the end this is going to be the most revolutionary race in the state that deserves it the most in the nation," Franken said.
A recent Des Moines Register Iowa Poll showed Franken in a tight race with Grassley, who has held this seat since 1981. National election forecasters largely ignored the Iowa Senate race, writing it off as a safe seat for Republicans prior to this poll.
Franken told the crowd that the energy from Democrats that he hopes sends him to the U.S. Senate should continue the day after the election on Nov. 9 through 2024. He said successive victories by Democrats are the only way the party can "curtail the oddities that have become the right side of the Republican Party."
"If you think this is tough, the next wave happens in 2024," Franken said.
While there hasn't been much polling in the 1st Congressional District with Miller-Meeks and Bohannan, the southeastern Iowa seat containing Davenport and Iowa City is considered one of the Democrats' best chances to flip a seat in Iowa. Miller-Meeks won by just six votes in 2020 against Democrat Rita Hart.
Bohannan said Friday meant a lot to her because Iowa City "is home to me." She said as she's traveled the 20-county 1st District in southeastern Iowa and believes Iowans deserve good representation that will protect voting rights, fund education and support other Democratic priorities on healthcare and gun safety.
"Not just (Miller-Meeks), but a lot of the Republican opponents on the ballot this time, they are not focused on working people. They do not represent them," Bohannan said.
Bohannan, both before and after the parade, focused on an onslaught of negative advertisements targeting her. While the Miller-Meeks campaign and the congresswoman herself largely avoid even mentioning Bohannan, national Republican super PACs and the Iowa Republican Party have spent significant amounts of money on negative campaign ads and mailers attacking Bohannan.
Bohannan herself has spent $1.7 million on her own advertisements that often attack her opponent's voting record, but had received little aid from national Democrats. Bohannan continued those attacks on Friday and said she thinks the congresswoman's voting record indicates she represents billionaires, pharmaceutical executives and oil executives rather than her own constituents.
"And those are the people who are spending millions to pour money into this district from outside the state to run all of these attack ads and distort this election. And if (Miller-Meeks) is elected, she will continue to be beholden to them and we'll never see the representation in this district that we deserve," she said.
According to the most recent campaign finance filings to the Federal Election Commission in Iowa's 1st District, the Congressional Leadership Fund, a House Republican Super PAC, has spent over $500,000 on ads opposing Bohannan. The CLF, the Opportunity Matters Fund and other PACs have spent another $625,000 supporting Miller-Meeks.
By comparison, less than $10,000 has been spent to oppose Miller-Meeks since the start of this election cycle and $0 has been spent to support Bohannan by these outside groups. Bohannan did get a $30,000 donation from U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the most recent filings.
Bohannan said that while there is a lot of "toxic stuff" on the airwaves, she thinks it is easy to combat that message by knocking on doors and having face-to-face conversations with people about why they support her, Franken and DeJear. She said that while this year's election may be a harder cycle for Democrats due to inflation, it is winnable and reminded the room of the importance of Johnson County.
"If (Republicans) want to say something about Johnson County, let them say that we stood up. That we took these seats back. We stood up for our democracy and our country and brought this election home," she said.
George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen's local government and development reporter covering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at (515) 350-6307, GShillcock@press-citizen.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Deidre DeJear, Mike Franken, Christina Bohannan campaign in Iowa City
