Posted on 10/29/2010 4:30:06 AM PDT by iowamark
Democrat Tom Miller has served 28 years as Iowa attorney general. Re-elected by wide margins, he didn't even have an opponent in 2006.
This year is different.
An aggressive, energetic and well-financed campaign by Republican challenger Brenna Findley, a former aide to western Iowa's U.S. Rep. Steve King, has turned the race into what is now considered a toss-up.
Stefan Schmidt, a political science professor at Iowa State University, said he would have scoffed if someone told him in January that Miller was in political trouble.
“I would have started laughing and said, ‘Are you on crack?'” Schmidt said.
But now, “I'm predicting that there is a good chance (Findley) will win by a very narrow margin.”
Miller disagrees with such assessments.
“We're always prepared for a race, and we knew this would be a difficult year,” he said. “We don't agree with the pundits that it's a toss-up race. We feel that I have a lead and we will continue to maintain that lead.”
Miller was first elected in 1978. Other than a four-year gap from 1991 to 1995, he has held the office ever since.
He is leading a 49-state battle against home foreclosure fraud. His office has tackled numerous scams.
“People have kind of tried to run against him, and they've never gotten very far,” Schmidt said. “He had every reason in the world to kind of chill out and not raise too much money and not exert himself.”
Findley has run an aggressive campaign.
She had raised $920,947 and had $259,696 on hand, according to a campaign finance report filed Oct. 19.
Miller's report filed the same day said he had raised $473,650 and had $175,046 on hand.
In other words, Findley raised nearly twice as much money and had almost 1½ times as much cash on hand.
Such an advantage is a huge help to a challenger in getting her name and face out to the public, said Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake University.
“She's had money the way no previous competitor of Miller has had money,” he said. “Money gets you in the game. But you still have to play the game well.”
Findley, 34, has a disciplined message that hits hot-button issues, such as Miller not joining other state attorneys general in fighting the federal health care law.
“Congress has no power under the federal constitution to force us to buy a private product from a private party,” she said. “We need meaningful health care reform, not the federal government forcing us to buy a certain kind of approved insurance.”
Miller, 66, said his office examined the bill and found it constitutional under the Congress' authority to regulate interstate commerce. Hospitals spend billions every year treating patients who don't have insurance. That much money affects interstate commerce, he said.
“The attorney general, no matter what his or her preference or what the voter's preference is, we have to follow the law,” Miller said. “You don't waste taxpayers' time and money on things that are not going to be effective.”
Still, health care has been a good issue for Findley on the campaign trail.
“The way it occurred at the national level upset a lot of people,” said Tim Hagle, associate professor of political science at the University of Iowa.
“Somebody said, ‘If you've got a good horse, ride it.' That's the issue that keeps resonating with folks. So that's the issue she's going to focus on.”
The combination of factors — the money, an aggressive opponent, a GOP message that has hit home with Iowa voters — has created a challenging situation for Miller.
“We think this is going to be a squeaker,” said Iowa State's Schmidt. “Tom Miller will be lucky if he gets re-elected.”
Did Miller get any Soros money (yet)????
Brenna has run an excellent campaign. We should all do whatever we can to help her in these last few days. Tell you friends!!!
"Numerous scams?" Priceless! Every time he faces another election he - or his staff - gets up off the couch and piously goes after after some obscure fool-and-his-money scheme (accompanied liberally - ahem -by a media-compliant "look at me, I'm a dynamic crime fighter" PR program). "Home foreclosure fraud" indeed... I was wondering what this dynamic (!) courageous (!!) crusader for the people (!!!) was using this time around.
On off years, he might go after some "evil corporation of the month" like any good lib att'y gen, but go after actual crime rather than political targets? LOL! When there is a rare blue moon, he'll hand it over to some other Democrat functionary down in Des Moines that will make sure the right people aren't implicated.
(Right, Chet?)
Since 1978, that office has been worse than worthless, and if the congenital Democrats of this state re-elect Tom Miller this time, they friggin' deserve the real crime they are getting a bigger taste of every year.
Mr. niteowl77
It’s not HIS job, it’s the PEOPLE’S job.
BTW, it was riveting to hear her give an account of a conversation she had with Barack Obama at the University of Chicao Law School.
Tell us!
He was never one of her teachers but she said they had at least one conversation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.