Sen. Joni Ernst on Tuesday accused her Democrat opponent and her allies of "pushing a misinformation campaign" after an email circulated that the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation was not supporting her reelection efforts.
"I think it's absolutely horrible what Theresa Greenfield, my opponent, and her liberal allies are doing," the Iowa Republican said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "They are pushing a misinformation campaign that could be detrimental. We are pushing back on that."
Last week, a fake email that was distributed on Twitter said the farm bureau withdrew its support for Ernst after she gave the wrong breakeven price for soybeans, a major export for Iowa, reports Des Moines CBS affiliate KCCI.
The bureau said in a statement that "Iowa farmers know Senator Joni Ernst understands agriculture and works tirelessly to increase the economic opportunities for Iowa farmers and rural America, and that is why the Iowa Farm Bureau was proud to designate her as a Friend of Agriculture,” the statement added. “She continues to have our full support.”
Ernst said Tuesday that she's "certainly" a champion for Iowa's farmers and that such tactics are not. "Her first run at election ended in campaign election fraud, so it is a very disturbing pattern coming from my opponent and certainly Iowans won't stand for it."
Greenfield has denied responsibility, show co-host Ainsley Earhardt said, but Ernst insisted that "we know her liberal backers are the ones pushing it.
"She may not have shared it personally, (but) we know that her supporters are sharing it," she added.
Ernst said there are a number of organizations supporting her, including the Farm Bureau, the Iowa Cattleman's Association, and the Iowa Corn Growers Association.
"I have been backed by all of those major ag organizations," she said. "My opponent has not."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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