Patty Judge Goes National

[cigaretteman]

Well, she made the NYTimes anyway:

With Senator Charles E. Grassley under attack for his handling of the Supreme Court nomination process, a formidable Democratic challenger will run against him this November, the most significant sign yet that Democrats see the court and the candidacy of Donald J. Trump as twin liabilities for Republicans.

Patty Judge, a former Iowa lieutenant governor and state agriculture secretary, is expected to announce her challenge this weekend to Mr. Grassley, who is seeking a seventh Senate term and had previously been seen as having little opposition to re-election.

Mr. Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has come under fire in Iowa for his refusal to hold hearings on a potential nominee for the Supreme Court after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

The issue became more local for Mr. Grassley on Wednesday when it was revealed that the White House is vetting Jane L. Kelly, a federal appellate judge in his home state, as a potential replacement.


The nexus of the Supreme Court fight and Mr. Trump’s ascendancy are most apparent on Capitol Hill, where Republican senators are simultaneously weighing whether to support the billionaire businessman as they continue to back Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, in his firm insistence on refusing to consider a judicial nominee.



Should Mr. Trump become the nominee, the implication is that Republicans would feel comfortable with his choice for the court, something Democrats intend to emphasize. A recent CNN poll found that 66 percent of Americans believe the Senate should hold hearings on the vacancy.

“They think that they’re going to wait and see what President Trump will do, I guess, as far as a nomination,” Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the minority leader, said after a White House meeting on the high court vacancy.

One by one, Democratic senators came to the Senate floor Thursday to excoriate Mr. Grassley’s choices. “This is obstruction and chaos,” Mr. Reid said. Mr. Reid has spent the week repeatedly denouncing Mr. Grassley over the matter. Mr. Grassley hit back, saying Democrats were engaging in “unfortunate political gamesmanship.”

The normally unflappable Mr. Grassley has become increasingly agitated as Democrats have pounced on him.

Ms. Judge, a nurse by profession, has been a political fixture in Iowa for decades, serving in the State Senate, as secretary of agriculture — the first woman to hold that post — then as lieutenant governor. She and her husband own a cow and calf farm in rural southern Iowa. Democrats had wooed her to challenge Mr. Grassley for some time, but she had demurred until now, because Mr. Grassley has been extremely popular in the state.

Ms. Judge told the Des Moines Register last month that she was considering a Senate run, and three other Democratic candidates have already announced plans to challenge him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/u...column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

 

[MitchL]

I think there will be some other consequences of a Trump nomination for the Republicans.

I don't expect to see the same level of straight ticket voting with him at the top of the ballot. I think this has a more negative affect on the GOP Senatorial races where they are susceptible. Regardless of who the GOP nominee is going to be, I've seen scenarios where there was already a good chance the Republicans would lose the Senate.

In this specific case concerning Chuckie... I think it's a very long shot to expect Grassley to lose his seat. Iowa loves their incumbents.

I would guess there might even be a percentage of Iowa Republicans that would acknowledge Grassley is a liability at his age. But as was the case with Harkin... I think Chuckie leaves, or dies, on his own time line.

 

[lucas80]

Judge is a credible candidate with decent statewide name recognition. She'll be able to draw money nationwide due to Grassley's blocking action on the Supreme Court. And, let's be honest, she'll be the recipient of a lot of money from groups that aim to support women. Now, money may pour in from out of state to Grassley because of his position, but Judge does have a shot. Grassley gave Judge one great issue to repeatedly bash him over, and show he's out of touch with the citizenry.

 

[SIXERS24]

Judge is a joke in her little rain suit. She has no chance! She may not even be the D's nominee.

 

[SIXERS24]

She is a clown

 

[cigaretteman]

A word of caution for Democrats thinking U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s controversial stance on a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy might make him vulnerable at the ballot box this year — the veteran Republican remains popular in Iowa.

The latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll — which was conducted Feb. 21-24, as the court controversy was unfolding — shows Grassley’s approval rating holding steady at 57 percent, while just 28 percent say they disapprove of the job he’s doing.

That approval is down 7 percentage points from a year ago, but it remains well within his normal range over the last several years, Register pollster J. Ann Selzer said. Over the past decade, Grassley has rated as high as 75 percent, in January 2009, and as low as 54 percent, in February 2010.

The poll was conducted by Selzer & Co., which surveyed 804 Iowa adults. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

The results suggest that even Iowans who are frustrated by Grassley’s role in blocking the nomination proceedings aren’t ready to deny him the seventh term he’s seeking this fall.

“This may be politically damaging for the Republican Party, but I don’t think it is for Senator Grassley,” University of Northern Iowa political scientist Chris Larimer said. “He’s built up such a considerable amount of goodwill across the state that it seems as though voters separate him from the Republican Party.”

In recent weeks, Grassley has been at the center of a national controversy over the Supreme Court vacancy opened by the unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia on Feb. 13. Grassley serves as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which holds confirmation hearings for judicial nominees put forward by the president.

Grassley has joined with other Republican senators in refusing to hold these hearings, effectively stopping the confirmation process before Democratic President Barack Obama has named a nominee. Republicans say the appointment should be delayed until a new president is elected this fall, so that voters have a say in the ideological direction of the high court.

Democrats have decried this position as obstructionism, and on Thursday multiple sources told the Register that former Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge will enter the Senate race against him. Judge told the Register last week that she was considering entering the race largely in response to Grassley's handling of the nomination.

In follow-up interviews, several poll respondents said they were not happy with Grassley’s role in the controversy.

Pamela Glassmeyer, 58, of Logan, told the pollster last week that she approved of the job Grassley was doing. But when contacted by a reporter Wednesday, her view had shifted markedly.

“His position on the Supreme Court seems to follow the party line in going so far to the right,” Glassmeyer said. “He seems to be doing what other people are saying, not what he thinks is best. That has really colored my opinion of him in the past week.”

A self-identified independent, Glassmeyer said she would be “looking closely” at Grassley’s record as the election approaches, as well as studying his ultimate opponent.

Poll respondent Richard Grimm, of Waterloo, also expressed disappointment in Grassley’s refusal to hold nomination hearings, but said he would continue to back him.

“Looking back at his past history and the job he’s done, I would still support the man for re-election,” said Grimm, a 76-year-old retired civil engineer. “I just think he’s making a bad mistake and will probably lose votes for the stance that he’s taken. It’s purely a political party play, and there isn’t any space for that in this situation.”

http://www.press-citizen.com/story/...ys-ratings-steady-amid-scotus-fight/81220966/

 

[lucas80]

Favorability polls can be shifted by focused advertising.

 

[Huey Grey]

I still can't get over how piss poor the Republican strategy has been over this nomination. Trump's on the ticket. He'll likely drag down whoever is on there with him. The Republicans have 24 seats up this election. Dems only have 10. So the GOP will have trouble holding onto the Senate. And finally, the guy who is the Chair of the Judicial Committee is on the chopping block, too, and has a decent chance of losing his seat.

If the Republicans were smart, they would stop looking a gift horse in the mouth. Will they have to confirm someone? You bet. But it'll be a way better deal for them doing it now. They still have the Senate and they still have the Committee in charge of this confirmation. At least now, they'll have some control. Come next year, it's likely they will have far less.

Not sure why they're rolling the dice on Trump. Seems like a risky bet.

 

[lucas80]

Governor Big Lug may enter the race for Iowa's 3rd District seat.

 

[StormHawk42]

I think the only Democrat who would have a shot against Grassley is Tom Vilsack (is he even an Iowa resident now?)

Grassley is living proof of the necessity of term limits. But he'll still win and win big.