I have some Iowans in the family. They are politically weird, and I can see that in the state's politics. Iowa might be trending Republican nationally, but they'll elect liberal Democrats pretty readily. Three out of their four members of Congress are Democrats, and they aren't conservative Democrats. For decades, they very comfortably elected very liberal Tom Harkin (D) and very conservative Charles Grassley (R) to the Senate. That's like voting for Ted Cruz one day and Ted Kennedy the next day.
I think their politics come from the agriculture background. My guess is that they're a generally conservative-leaning state but will back a liberal if he's a very strong advocate for agriculture (subsidies, favorable regulatory environment, etc.) and pro-labor. Harkin fit that mold.
And there is a logic to it. If your big issue is something that isn't particularly partisan (like agriculture), it makes some sense, because Iowa always had a powerful senator to fight for agriculture. If Democrats ran the Senate, Harkin was powerful. If Republicans ran the Senate, Grassley was powerful.
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Agree x 1
Last edited: Oct 23, 2020