At Roast and Ride, Iowa Republicans say teamwork will help them deliver a 'red wave' on Election Day

Gov. Kim Reynolds said Iowa Republicans need to work together to support candidates up and down the ballot if they want to see a “red wave” on Election Day next month.

“This isn’t about one individual, it’s about a team,” she said. “I promise you that if you show up, if you help us make that red wave a reality, the best is yet to come.”

Reynolds, speaking at U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst’s annual Roast and Ride Fundraiser, told Republicans they need to start voting at the top of their ballot, go to the bottom, “flip it over and keep voting.”

Reynolds currently is polling well ahead of her Democratic opponent, businesswoman Deidre DeJear, a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows. She leads DeJear 52% to 35% among likely voters.

But other races could be more competitive.

More:Iowa Poll shows Mike Franken within striking distance of Chuck Grassley. Could he really win?

The poll shows U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley leads by a narrow margin, 46% to 43%, over Democrat Mike Franken. And races in Iowa’s 2^nd and 3^rd congressional districts are “squeaky tight,” said pollster J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co.

Selzer & Co. conducted the Oct. 9-12 poll, and it has a margin of error is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann pushed back against Grassley’s poll numbers, touting his stature and pointing to other polls that show him leading by larger margins.

“Sen. Grassley is up. He is not taking this for granted whatsoever,” Kaufmann said. “… We are a team. That’s what’s going to get us through.”

Grassley said his opponent would be a “rubber stamp” for Democratic President Joe Biden's liberal agenda, falling short on issues like inflation, securing the southern border, crime and energy independence.

“He wants to make Iowa more progressive than California,” he said. “That’s what his leadership will do.”

U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson and 3^rd District Republican candidate Zach Nunn were also on hand as they run for reelection.

Former White House Press Secretary and current Arkansas gubernatorial candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders headlined the event.

Huckabee Sanders has been to Iowa several times, including headlining an event for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2018. She also joined former Republican President Donald Trump at a November 2020 rally in Des Moines.

She said she’s faced criticism for “nationalizing” her race for governor and focusing primarily on national issues.

More:Iowa Poll shows Mike Franken within striking distance of Chuck Grassley. Could he really win?

“You bet I am,” Sanders said she tells people. “Because if you are not paying attention to what’s happening in Washington, you are missing what’s happening in this country.”

In Iowa, Biden remains largely unpopular, the Register’s Iowa Poll shows.

Sixty-one percent of Iowa adults say they disapprove of the way Biden has handled the presidency, while 35% approve.

An even higher share of Iowans (73%) believes the nation has gotten off on the wrong track, compared with 20% who say the nation is headed in the right direction.

Ernst, who is not up for reelection this year, hosted the annual event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds after taking a hiatus in 2021 — this time with an added twist.

Some attendees woke up in the early morning to participate in a military "ruck march," or a march made with a weighted rucksack. They jumped on motorcycles to ride into the "roast," a BBQ lunch in Des Moines.

Speaking to guests, she cast the coming elections as a fight between “freedom and socialism” as she helped rally Republicans.

“I believe in America,” she said. “I believe in our freedoms, and I believe in our way of life. We are the greatest nation on the face of the planet. So, together, with this upcoming election, we can and we must save the United States of America.”

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: At Roast and Ride, Iowa Republicans push 'red wave' in 2022 midterms