There are some who believe that progressive women lost their chance to make history in 2008 when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton ended her presidential bid, but EMILY’s List organizers disagree.
“If we add nine Democratic, pro-choice women to the [U.S.] House this cycle — and when I say ‘this cycle,’ I mean the entire cycle including special elections — that would be the second-most in the history of the United States,” said Jonathan Parker, EMILY’s List political director, during a conference call with women activists on Monday. “It seems kinda hard to believe, but that’s how tough the work is that EMILY’s List is doing. The [gains] in 1992 would be the most, of course, but this would be the second-most.”
Because of four special elections — Donna Edwards in Maryland, Niki Tsongas in Massachusetts, Jackie Speier in California and Laura Richardson in California — the organization is already well on its way to the goal. While besting the 20 women the organization aided in 1992 “Year of the Woman” victories in the U.S. House would be a major accomplishment, organizers are still able to smile at the possibility.
EMILY’s List has endorsed candidates in three gubernatorial, two U.S. Senate, 31 U.S. House and literally hundreds of other localized races throughout the nation.
“Of those 31 House contests, 20 are what I would call in-play open-seat or challenger races,” Parker said. “Each of those 20 seats are take-back opportunities. So, not only do we have a lot of House races in this cycle, but we have a lot of House races that are opportunities to win back a Republican seat.”
One of those races is in Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District, where Democrat Becky Greenwald faces Republican Congressman Tom Latham.
Taking over a currently Republican seat in Congress, especially one that has been in Republican hands since the district was drawn in 2001 and one that is currently held by a congressman that has served since 1994, would be a boon for the women’s political action committee. There is also little doubt that EMILY’s List would like to claim at least partial credit for Iowa finally electing a woman to serve in Congress. No one is under the illusion, however, that Democratic challenger Becky Greenwald has an easy row to hoe.
“We hadn’t really talked with [Greenwald] until after she won her primary,” Parker said. “She came in here and was very impressive, and we came on board for her soon thereafter. She’s a great fit for this District and [incumbent Republican U.S. Rep.] Tom Latham seems to be the ‘missing in action congressman’ of Iowa. Yet, he’s raised a hell of a lot of money and he’s spending it on television. Becky doesn’t have a lot of money. We’ve tried to raise her some, and we’ve had some luck, but it’s just been a tough slog for her to get up on television the way she needs to.”
Greenwald reported $490,128 in receipts through Oct. 15, according to documents with the Federal Elections Commission. Latham, however, reported $1,426,603 in receipts for that same time frame — more than half attributed to political action committees. Despite the money disparities that have plagued Greenwald’s bid from the beginning, a recent poll conducted by Research 2000 on behalf of leftist Daily Kos shows she and Latham in a statistical dead heat. If the Democratic storm some pundits have glimpsed on the horizon makes landfall in Iowa, Parker believes Greenwald is in an ideal position to capitalize and pull off the upset win.
“A couple of weeks ago, when we were talking internally about the races to have the best opportunity to perhaps ride … a national lift,” Parker said. “Becky’s race was the first one I said. I think [Iowa's 4th District] is one that should really see a benefit from a strong showing for Sen. Barack Obama.”
The fact that there was a 2006 Iowa Congressional race in which an under-funded Democratic candidate was able to remove a long-serving Republican from office has not gone unnoticed by Parker.
“I think Becky Greenwald is in an excellent position to become, for lack of a better phrase, the Dave Loebsack of 2008 — a candidate who is able to ride in on the voters’ absolute desire for change,” he said. “She’s in a district that I believe at the end of the day is going to vote Democratic. Our fingers are crossed and we’re talking to Becky and her staff nearly every day.”
For the first time since district lines were redrawn in 2001 Iowa’s 4th Congressional District has more registered Democratic than Republican voters. As is the case with Iowa as a whole, however, individuals who have registered as a third party or no party outnumber voters affiliated with either primary party.
Prior to the 2008 Democratic registration advances, however, voters in the 4th District have shown themselves to be independent thinkers. In 2000 and in 2004 Democratic presidential hopefuls Al Gore and John Kerry garnered 48 percent of the vote. Between those two general elections, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democratic mainstay in Iowa, carried all 28 counties in 2002. In 2006, when current Democratic Gov. Chet Culver faced a difficult race against former Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Nussle, 22 of the 4th District’s 28 counties supported Culver.
