Early voting started yesterday in Iowa. Every Iowa Democrat running for federal office has pronounced their support of the Equality Act.
The Equality Act is a radical piece of legislation that takes direct aim at religious liberty. It will lead to men in women’s restrooms, men in battered women shelters, biological boys playing female sports and a plethora of other consequences that common-sense Iowans would overwhelmingly reject at the voting box.
Yet here we are. On Monday night, I did a brief Google search of the Republicans running for federal office in Iowa. I simply put their name in the search bar and added “Equality Act.”
Nothing appeared. Nothing.
American Principles Project conducted a poll back in July. They asked Iowa voters if boys and men who say they identify as transgender should be allowed to compete in female athletics. With 701 responses, 74.41 percent said no.
They also asked if children who say they identify as transgender be allowed to undergo physical sex change surgeries or chemical treatments while under the age of 18. Again, 701 responses. This time 77.1 percent said no.
Keep in mind only 266 of the people who responded were Republicans.
So, why on earth are Joni Ernst, Ashley Hinson, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, David Young and Randy Feenstra not making this a defining issue of the 2020 campaign?
Is it possible that Republican strategist, Never-Trumper, pro-LGBTQ David Kochel backs the Equality Act?
Kochel, who has been a key cog in the Branstad Machine for years. He orchestrated Mitt Romney’s Iowa campaign and then Jeb Bush’s.
You can read about Kochel’s support for LGBTQ issues and his disdain for President Trump.
Kochel has been a cheerleader for Gov. Kim Reynolds, Sen. Ernst and all four of the Republican nominees for Congress.
I don’t know if Kochel is the reason these Republicans haven’t brought up the Equality Act.
But I also cannot think of a possible, logical explanation as to why these Republicans have allowed these Democrats to support such a radical bill and not held their feet to the fire.
If opposing the Equality Act is a losing issue in Iowa, then we’re toast anyway. If Republicans are not willing to take bold, public stances against this legislation, then shut off the lights. The Party has outlasted its purpose.
Voting is underway. Republicans are yet to make an issue of this.
If Hinson loses to Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer and doesn’t make an issue of Finkenauer’s support of the Equality Act, then Hinson doesn’t deserve to be in Congress.
If Miller-Meeks loses to Rita Hart and doesn’t make an issue of Hart’s support of the Equality Act, then Miller-Meeks doesn’t belong in Congress.
If Young loses to Congresswoman Cindy Axne and doesn’t make an issue of Axne’s support of the Equality Act, then Young only has himself to blame.
The fact Feenstra hasn’t made J.D. Scholten’s support of the Equality Act a defining issue should be a crime.
If Sen. Joni Ernst loses to Theresa Greenfield and doesn’t highlight Greenfield’s support of the Equality Act, then she bears the responsibility of the loss and nobody else.
Again, the poll from American Principles Project showed three-fourths of Iowans reject ideas espoused in the Equality Act.
I would bet dollars to doughnuts that more Iowans care about Greenfield’s support of the radical Equality Act than they do her horrible business record.
Time is running out to make the Equality Act a defining issue of this campaign cycle. The fact it hasn’t been done yet is the most troubling aspect of the 2020 election season.
Republicans don’t have a great track record of winning these battles, but they’ll lose every battle they refuse to have.
So far, they’ve refused to engage on the insane Equality Act. And if they continue to do so, they’ll make losers of all of us.