Ernst got elected because she promised to make Washington “squeal”

By breaking anti-corruption laws and funneling dark money, Ernst’s campaign has put her in serious jeopardy as Iowans learn she’s another corrupt politician

A new poll of Iowa voters, commissioned by End Citizens United (ECU) and conducted by Public Policy Polling (PPP), shows that the bombshell investigative story uncovering Senator Joni Ernst’s illegal dark money scheme is dealing a serious blow to Ernst’s re-election campaign.

Click here to see the polling

Click here to see the polling memo.

After Iowa voters learned about the recent AP investigation, which exposed Sen. Ernst’s scheme to break anti-corruption laws and funnel dark money to benefit her campaign, Ernst loses support and drops to just 40 percent, with Democrat Theresa Greenfield rising to 45 percent. The poll also found that 53 percent of Iowans believe politicians promote policies to help their corporate special interest donors most of the time, something Ernst’s behavior shows is true.

“Iowans know too many politicians vote on behalf of their corporate special interest donors, which is why the news about Senator Ernst’s campaign illegally soliciting dark money is so damaging to her,” said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United. “Senator Ernst promised voters she would make Washington ‘squeal,’ but by breaking anti-corruption laws and funneling dark money to benefit her campaign, Ernst proved that she’s become part of the broken system in Washington. This scandal is a devastating blow to Ernst’s standing and a reminder for Iowans that the only candidate in this race who will fight for real reform and put people first is Theresa Greenfield.”

PPP surveyed 944 Iowa voters from December 13-15, 2019. The margin of error is +/- 3.2%. The survey was conducted by telephone.

ECU endorsed Theresa Greenfield in July because of her commitment to reform and making Washington work for Iowans. Greenfield, who rejects corporate PAC money, is running a grassroots campaign powered by small-dollar donors. ECU has conducted extensive polling and research showing that voters across the political spectrum support getting big money out of politics. ECU is a traditional political action committee (PAC) with more than four million members, including 27,800 in Iowa.

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