Finkenauer presents petition signatures to qualify for primary ballot

DES MOINES — U.S. Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer of Cedar Rapids is emphasizing the importance of Democratic candidates working together to boost the party’s prospects in 2022.

“Yes, this is about the Senate race, doing this right, beating Chuck Grassley,” Finkenauer said of her campaign. “It’s also about the rest of our state and it’s about making sure that we have a strong ticket here to fight for the future of our state and our country.”

Finkenauer said her campaign worked alongside other Democratic candidates to get petition signatures to qualify for the June Primary ballot. Finkenauer filed her nominating petitions on Thursday with more than 5000 signatures, in the Iowa Secretary of State’s office. Finkenauer said she and other Democrats are connecting with voters who are worried about the future.

“We’ve got to be able to cut down on the corruption,” Finkenauer said. “We have to have people wanting to do it for the right reasons and save our democracy and fix our politics while we’re at it.”

Three other candidates have been campaigning for the Democratic Party’s U.S. Senate nomination and a chance to face Republican Senator Chuck Grassley this fall. A week ago in the Iowa Secretary of State’s office, Grassley touted his seniority in the senate as an advantage for Iowans. Finkenauer said Iowans aren’t reaping the benefits from Grassley’s 47 years in Washington.

“The reality is when you look at where there are problems in Washington and where it is broken, it is because of folks who have been sitting there for too dang long, who are so comfortable, who are cozier to the corporate lobbyists than they are to their constituents,” Finkenauer said, “and they’ve stopped getting the work done for the people who elected them there to represent them.”

Finkenauer’s name first appeared on an Iowa ballot for a state legislative seat, a race she won in 2014. She won a term in the U.S. House in 2018, but lost her bid for reelection in 2020.