Fearing that yet another House seat may be slipping out of their hands, Democrats plan an injection of $600,000 in TV ads into an Iowa race in an attempt to hang on to the seat that opened up when Rep. Bruce Braley opted to run for the Senate.
A new poll from The Polling Co. showing Republican Rod Blum leading Democrat state Rep. Pat Murphy by 40-39 percent among those likely to vote and, perhaps more critically, by 30-24 percent among independent/no party voters, has put fear into Democrats and caused them to launch a last-minute push to retain the seat,
the Quad City Times reports.
In early September, a
Loras College poll showed Murphy up by two points, but as that lead has evaporated, Democrats are mounting additional efforts.
Blum spokesman Keegan Conway said three polls have shown Blum pulling into the lead, showing him with a six-point lead among voters over 65 and benefiting from a 49-40 percentage margin among voters who disapprove of President Barack Obama, the Quad City Times reports.
Murphy's standing may also be dragged down by Braley's lackluster performance against Republican challenger Joni Ernst in the Iowa Senate race.
A recent poll by the Des Moines Register shows Ernst one point ahead of Braley in a very tight race.
Just two weeks ago, the Des Moines Register reports, Braley was down by six points but is playing catch-up because of an
aggressive push by Democrats in door-to-door campaigning.
The GOP, likely to retain control of the House, nonetheless is responding in Iowa, and plans to send Sen. Marco Rubio to stump for Blum,
Politico reports.
Politico estimates that the House will remain firmly in Republican hands no matter what happens in Iowa. Democrats would need to take 17 seats to gain control but, instead, are expected to lose 6-8 seats nationally.
"Our recent poll had us up one point and it had us up five points, I believe, with independent voters," Blum
told the Iowa Republican.
"I believe the Republicans in the First District will turn out in the same number as the Democrats and then the Independents will determine it. I think they’re going to break overwhelmingly to the GOP side."
Conway said on the
campaign website: “Rod’s common sense message of reigniting the economy, which will result in millions of new jobs and higher take home pay, is clearly resonating with swing voters in the district. We will continue to work hard every day to build on this campaign’s clear momentum.”
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