Dave Muhlbauer is a 37-year-old farmer from a rural county in western Iowa.
On Monday, he announced that he is running for Republican Senator Charles Grassley’s seat next year.
And while Muhlbauer is not exactly a household name throughout Iowa, nor necessarily what some might consider to be a “top-tier” candidate for this Senate seat, he appears to be more than just a dark horse appearing out of nowhere. He brings some interesting demographics to the table should he win the Democratic nomination.
First of all, unlike almost all major Democratic nominees in Iowa in recent years, with the exception of former Gov. Tom Villsack, current U.S. Agriculture Secretary in the Biden administration, Muhlbauer hails from Trump country, one of the most rural areas of one of the most rural states in the country, Carroll County. Most Democratic candidates for statewide office in Iowa tend to come from the more urban areas of the state.
And while he’s only 37 years old, Muhlbauer has some solid political credentials, including having served as vice chairman of the Carroll County Board of Supervisors. He’s also from a well-known family in Carroll County. Both his father and grandfather served as state legislators.
Even if Muhlbauer ends up being the Democratic nominee for Senate from Iowa next year, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be running against Grassley, who, at 87 years old has said he would decide by this fall whether to run for reelection.
According to an article on Yahoo News (see link below), Muhlbauer’s run could be a test case for Democrats, in terms of their ability to successfully appeal to Trump voters, instead of only trying to stimulate turnout in Democratic strongholds.
While it would be a long shot for Democrats to flip this seat next year, especially if Grassley were to decide to run for reelection, it would be a major step toward retaining control of the Senate if they were able to do so.
Muhlbauer’s youth could be an advantage, in stark contrast to the incumbent. And he is not shying away from taking strong populist, even progressive stands. He says he can tie together both economic and environmental policy with authority, by virtue of his farming background.
While Muhlbauer lost his bid for reelection to the Board of Supervisors last year, it was by only 95 votes, in a heavily Republican area, in a state won easily by Trump.
If nothing else, it will be quite interesting to see whether someone like Muhlbauer can put an end to the assumption by some that Democrats cannot win by both reaching out to Trump voters AND stimulating enthusiasm among key Democratic constituencies. It sure would be sweet if someone like him could dispel the notion that it has to be one or the other.
His announcement video is attached.
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www.yahoo.com/…