DNC boosts Iowa presence for state Senate special election

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is boosting its presence in Iowa ahead of the state Senate special election between Catelin Drey (D) and Republican Christopher Prosch, deploying thousands of volunteers in the Hawkeye State. 

The DNC will roll out a distributed organizing team of more than 30,000 volunteers for its “get out to vote” initiative and host text- and phone-banks together with the Iowa Democratic Party. 

Drey, who is the founder of Moms for Iowa, and Prosch, who owns a media consulting firm, are vying for the District 1 Senate seat that became available after the death of State Sen. Rocky De Witt (R) in late June.

The district encompasses a part of Woodbury County and Sioux City. 

If Drey wins Tuesday, the Democrats in the state would break up the GOP’s supermajority in the upper chamber; the GOP has 33 seats in the state Senate, and Democrats have 16. 

The DNC will back Drey with voter contact via canvassing, digital engagement and calls. 

The Hill has reached out to Prosch’s campaign and the Republican National Committee for comment. 

Prosch is campaigning on support for President Trump’s immigration agenda, small government, eliminating the the state income tax, and creating jobs.

“I’ve been pretty strong on economics. Obviously, Sioux City and the Siouxland area have been really stymied by Sioux Falls and Omaha. They just had better job opportunities,” Prosch told Iowa Public Radio last week. 

“We need a tax overhaul. Also, we have an energy crisis that needs to be dealt with. The county board is trying to address that over the next five to 10 years,” he added. “And also, we have property rights issues with the CO2 pipeline.”

Drey’s priorities are providing accessible childcare, expanding “equitable” access to healthcare,  and funding public education. 

Drey told Iowa Public Radio she is focused on how “we can make life better and more affordable for those folks in Senate District 1.” 

“Our cancer rates are rising, and our schools are underfunded. Instead of focusing on those issues, we see a ton of distraction and an unwillingness from the current administration and leaders to address the issues that are actually affecting Iowans,” the community advocate added. 

DNC Chair Ken Martin said the committee has “virtually ignored races up and down the ballot that have profound consequences on our future” for “too long.” 

“Rebuilding the Democratic Party starts from the ground up, and we’ve seen amazing victories in Iowa so far this year,” Martin said in a statement. “We’re all hands on deck to break the Iowa Republican supermajority and invest our resources in supporting candidates on the ground everywhere.”