Pictured: Greenfield speaks with a constituent in Marshalltown prior to putting her RV tour on hold following staffers’ exposures to COVID-19.
Theresa Greenfield, the democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, was scheduled to be in Carroll today (Wednesday) in her campaign’s last push to reach voters before Election Day but was forced to cancel after they learned several members of her staff were exposed to a COVID-positive individual. According to Greenfield, this disruption is a good example of how the pandemic is still affecting day-to-day activities as infection and hospitalization rates in Iowa continue to rise. She says the immediate concern is the health and safety of Iowans but securing more aid for a fragile economy is equally as pressing.
Data from the Center for Responsive Politics show Greenfield’s and incumbent Senator Joni Ernst’s campaigns combined had spent over $64.4 million as of Oct. 14, and that total does not include the tens of millions of dollars spent by traditional political action committees (PAC) and so-called “dark money” groups, who are not required to publicly disclose their donors. Both candidates have been the subject of these outside ads, and Greenfield says this is one matter on which Iowans agree.
Greenfield has hosted over 350 events throughout Iowa so far during her campaign, many of them virtually in an effort to promote social distancing. She says no matter where she is or who she is talking to, healthcare is almost always one of the first topics mentioned.
Greenfield’s RV tour is currently on hold on the advice of medical professionals following her team’s recent coronavirus exposure. She says they are eager to get back on the road as soon as they are certain it is safe to do so. Latest poll numbers show Ernst and Greenfield in a neck-and-neck race with less than a week left until Election Day on Nov. 3. According to a RealClearPolitics analysis of polls from Oct. 6 through 21, Greenfield leads by 1.8 points but the difference is within the margin of error for the majority of polls sampled.
