Ernst says Iowa ‘still just flyover country’ to national media

Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R) criticized national media outlets at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday over what she said was the lack of national coverage of a recent storm that tore across her home state this month.

“While reporters here in the state were in the trenches covering the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane, most of the national media looked the other way,” she said. “To them, Iowa’s still just flyover country.”

Ernst’s remarks came just a couple weeks after a massive, hurricane-like storm called a derecho struck Iowa, demolishing homes and devastating large portions of agricultural crops. 

But the remarks also echoed criticism of the national media that has become a fixture of GOP politics and the GOP convention. Ernst said that it took a visit from the president to get the national media to pay attention to her state. 

“President Trump quickly signed an emergency declaration for Iowa to provide relief,” she said. “And of course, when President Trump came to Cedar Rapids, the national media finally did too.”

Ernst is facing a tough reelection bid this year against Democrat Theresa Greenfield. She’s the first and so far only sitting GOP senator in a competitive race to speak this week at the Republican National Convention.