Republicans haven’t lost a gubernatorial race in Iowa since George W. Bush was president.
So the anxiety within the GOP as voters went to the polls on Tuesday was, on its face, hard to explain. But the projected defeat of Rep. Randy Feenstra, Trump’s endorsed candidate, in the GOP primary for governor was an early sign of just how unpredictable voters may be in Iowa this year.
In the two decades since a Democrat last won the governorship, in 2006, Iowa has gone from presidential battleground to reliably red state terrain, carried three times by Donald Trump. In most election cycles, that record would all but guarantee a comfortable race for Republicans this fall — even in a year when momentum is building on the left.
Not this year.
This is a preview of an article by Hunter Woodall and Alex Tabet. Read the full article here.
