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U.S. Representative Abby Finkenauer became the first Democrat
among the state's House delegation to endorse a candidate. She
was one of the first women elected to Congress from Iowa when
she won a seat in the state during the 2018 midterm elections.
Her endorsement of Biden was not unexpected.
Finkenauer worked on Biden’s presidential campaign in 2008 and
has invoked the former vice president when describing her
political philosophy. Biden traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in
2018 to campaign for Finkenauer, who defeated incumbent
Republican Rod Blum by 5 points as part of a blue wave in which
Democrats flipped two of the state’s four House seats.
Iowa holds caucuses in about a month, the first test before
voters for the remaining field of 14 Democratic presidential
hopefuls vying to become their party's nominee to challenge
Republican President Donald Trump in November 2020.
Trump carried her district by 3 points in 2016, making her
vulnerable and a top Republican target in 2020.
“It’s personal but it's also important for her to remind voters
in her district that she is a moderate Democrat,” said a
Democratic operative familiar with the congresswoman’s thinking.
The operative also noted that Finkenauer has family ties to
firefighters, whose national union has already endorsed Biden.
Her grandfather was once the head of the state’s fire union.
Biden is currently in third place in public opinion polls in
Iowa, trailing former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg
and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, according to an average of
polls by Real Clear Politics.
"Joe Biden's character, record, and commitment to rebuilding the
backbone of the country — the middle class — is what Iowa and
this country needs," Finkenauer said in a statement announcing
the endorsement.
The state's two other Democratic House members have signaled
they may not give a primary endorsement.
Endorsements in the past have proven to carry considerable
weight in Iowa, although in recent national elections they have
frequently proven to be less consequential. But for any
candidate, finishing in the top three in Iowa is likely to
provide a needed boost as attention then turns to the early
states of New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
(Reporting by Ginger Gibson in Washington and Jarrett Renshaw in
Philadelphia; Editing by William Maclean and Matthew Lewis)
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