Conlin gaining momentum as Grassley Blasted for Cynical Flip-Flops
| To: | Interested Parties |
| Fr: | Mark Daley, Campaign Manager |
| Roxanne Conlin for Senate | |
| Da: | April 9, 2010 |
| Re: | Battleground Brief: Conlin gaining momentum as Grassley Blasted for Cynical Flip-Flops |
Overview:
Chuck Grassley is losing ground in Iowa and faces his toughest challenge since entering public office 51 years ago. A recent poll shows 58 percent of Iowans are open to replacing Chuck Grassley. Former US Attorney and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Roxanne Conlin will report raising more funds than any challenger Grassley has ever faced in just the first five months of her campaign.
Grassley's increasing vulnerability:
- Grassley's approval rating has dropped 21% over the past year. [Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll]
- Voters wanting to replace him and those who are undecided total 58 percent. [Iowa Independent 4/5/10] In 2006 and 2008 very few incumbents with reelect numbers this low were reelected; those losing include former Senators Talent, Burns, DeWine, Chafee, Allen, Coleman, Dole, Sununu and Gordon Smith.
How Grassley became so vulnerable
- Iowa Democrats took over the voter registration lead (in 2006) and the state went from red to blue, choosing Obama with the largest margin a presidential candidate has received since Reagan beat Carter.
- Grassley promised bipartisanship on healthcare reform but famously walked away from the table and endorsed death panels, claiming Iowans should fear the government may "pull the plug on grandma."
- Roxanne Conlin, a well-known attorney and activist whose leadership secured $180 million cash for Iowans, decided to challenge Grassley.
- Roxanne has been to 86 of Iowa's 99 counties and has raised more money than any opponent Grassley has ever faced.
Iowa's electorate is more Democratic than ever.
- Democrats acquired a voter registration edge in 2006 and expanded it in 2008. This will be Grassley's first election without a Republican voter registration edge. In fact, Democrats hold a roughly 10 percent lead over Republicans of expected voters.
- Iowa's new "No Excuse" voting laws makes it easier for families to cast their ballots. It allows 40 days to cast a ballot by mail, at the Auditor's office or at a satellite location. More than 35% of Iowans voted early in 2008.
- 21,900 Iowans took advantage of the state's new same-day voter registration capabilities in 2008, greatly reducing the average age of voters.
Roxanne's grassroots movement continues to gain momentum.
Roxanne has been to 86 of Iowa's 99 counties during the past three months, meeting with energized crowds of Democratic activists, enthusiastic independents and disillusioned Republicans looking for someone to end the stalemate in Washington.
- The campaign has garnered more than 61,000 email addresses from supporters and activists.
- Roxanne's campaign has communicated directly with more than 213,459 Iowans in the past three months.
