Shunned by his party, Iowa's Steve King fights for his seat

[Omaha Steve]

FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2019, file photo, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, speaks during a news conference in Des Moines, Iowa. King is on the outs with a significant bloc of his long-reliable conservative base, but not for almost two decades of incendiary utterances about abortion, immigrants and Islam. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)


By THOMAS BEAUMONT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Rep. Steve King is fighting for his political life — but not because he’s compared immigrants crossing the border illegally to cattle. His Republican opponents in next week’s primary aren’t raking him over the coals for making light of rape and incest. His chief rival’s ads don’t mention the time he wondered when the term “white supremacist” became offensive.

Instead, the nine-term congressman known for his nativist politics is fighting to prove he can still deliver for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. Since Republican leaders stripped him of his committee assignments, in a rare punishment, King has been dogged by questions over whether he’s lost all effectiveness. Some longtime supporters are turning away, not because of his incendiary remarks but because they think he can no longer do the job.

“We all want to feel that we’re being represented in Washington, D.C., that we have a voice,” said Iowa state Sen. Annette Sweeney, a former King supporter.

Establishment Republicans in Iowa and Washington, some of whom share King’s policy views and have long tolerated his provocative remarks, have largely abandoned the congressman, throwing their weight behind Randy Feenstra, a conservative state senator.

FULL story: https://apnews.com/4ec76be4ad384eca6f9708fd26319988

[Thomas Hurt]

1. Nativist? Still can't call a fascist a fascist.

[madaboutharry]

2. Steve King, the congressman who dreamed of turning Iowa's 4th congressional district

into Vichy Iowa.

The man is a nazi. There isn't anything else to say.

[LuvNewcastle]

3. The next asshole won't be any better than King.

He'll be a 2.0 tarted-up version of the same troglodytes they've been voting for all this time. Personally, I'd rather have the guy who wears his hood to Congress than the guy who knows what to say when the cameras are rolling and gives you the shaft in private. At least you know where you stand when you elect the Grand Cyclops.