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Join NowIowa MoveOn Members Vote to Endorse Patty Judge for U.S. Senate in National ‘Take Back the Senate’ Push As Trump Drags Down GOP Hopefuls
** 95% of Votes Cast by MoveOn Members in Iowa to Endorse Patty Judge for Senate as Part of ‘Take Back the Senate’ Effort **
IOWA — Iowa members of MoveOn.org Political Action have voted to endorse Patty Judge in the state’s U.S. Senate race with 95% of votes cast in favor of backing Judge as part of an effort to elect a Democratic majority in the upper chamber of Congress this fall. The endorsements come as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump continues to drag down incumbent Republicans and GOP hopefuls with his politics of hate, racism, misogyny, Islamophobia, and authoritarianism.
Judge is challenging Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who has continued to support Trump despite the presidential candidate’s repeated attacks on military families, immigrants, and other minority groups. Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, has also refused to hold hearings for President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. Grassley received 5% of votes cast.
“MoveOn members are mobilizing nationwide to ensure Donald Trump never steps foot in the White House – and show that Americans clearly reject his politics of hate – while helping to elect Democrats like Patty Judge and advance progressive policies,” said Ilya Sheyman, executive director of MoveOn.org Political Action. “Bolstered by leading progressive voices like Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders, MoveOn members will help Take Back the Senate this fall and continue to fight for progressive change at all levels of government.”
Earlier this year, MoveOn organized a chorus of hundreds of former Grassley supporters who have publicly declared that he has lost their respect and their votes for playing games with the Supreme Court, a message delivered through online videos and ads, a billboard near the Des Moines airport, and a delegation of former supporters who travelled to Washington, DC to call on Grassley to do his job. A recent CBS News / YouGov poll shows Judge and Grassley in a statistical tie.
The endorsement comes as part of MoveOn.org’s newly launched “Take Back the Senate” campaign to elect a Democratic-controlled Senate with a progressive majority this fall. MoveOn members also voted to endorse Ann Kirkpatrick (Arizona), Sen. Michael Bennet (Colorado), Maggie Hassan (New Hampshire), Deborah Ross (North Carolina), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada), and Katie McGinty (Pennsylvania). Earlier this year, MoveOn members voted to endorse progressive diplomacy champions Tammy Duckworth (Illinois), Russ Feingold (Wisconsin), and Ted Strickland (Ohio) in their respective Senate races.
In recent weeks, Trump has continued to fuel speculation that his tanking campaign — rooted in bigotry and hatred, and causing dozens of leading Republican officials to renounce his candidacy — is impacting down-ticket races and could cost the Republican Party their majority in Congress. 538 reports that Trump’s presidential bid “could cost the party the Senate,” and top Republican strategists expressed fears of an “electoral bloodbath” this year to CNN.
Judge is a lifelong Iowan, farmer, and public health professional who first served as an elected official for the State Senate. Her issues include agriculture, LGBTQ rights, women’s health care, affordable education, getting money out of politics, protecting the environment, and giving fair consideration to President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee.
MoveOn has more than 36,000 members in Iowa.
Here’s what a few MoveOn members in the state had to say about Judge:
“Patty Judge supports environmental issues and wants a nomination hearing for Judge Garland.” -Vickie B. from Hiawatha, IA
“She is a strong Democrat who supports our policies and platform.” -Bob B. from Dubuque, IA
“Patty Judge has a history of attacking any problem and finding a solution to it. She is a no-nonsense kind of person!” -Melva S. from Ankeny, IA
In addition to “Take Back the Senate” endorsements, MoveOn members have also endorsed Senate candidate Kamala Harris (California); House candidates Mike Honda (California 17th), Pramila Jayapal (Washington 7th), and Zephyr Teachout (New York 19th); and Kim Foxx for Cook County State’s Attorney (Illinois).
In the 2014 election cycle, MoveOn members made over 6.7 million phone calls for endorsed candidates. MoveOn members have also raised millions of dollars—including more than $1 million for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Senate race in Massachusetts in 2012 and more than $1.2 million for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2016—mobilized volunteers, and run ads in support of endorsed candidates across the country.
Nationwide, MoveOn members voted to launch a multi-million dollar United Against Hate campaign to stop Donald Trump and keep him out of the White House and ensure the country rejects his hateful and dangerous rhetoric.
MoveOn.org Political Action represents the collective will of MoveOn’s members at the ballot box by helping to elect progressive candidates.