Having endorsed Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst earlier in the month, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is now running a new TV ad for her with his Reclaim America PAC as she continues her bid for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by the retiring U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. Reclaim America launched the ad on Friday.
Marco is so enthusiastic in his support of Joni because he believes she is exactly the kind of no-nonsense conservative we need in the U.S. Senate, Terry Sullivan from Reclaim America insisted on Friday. Thats why weve placed a statewide TV buy in support of her candidacy.
On top of being a true conservative that will fight for real change every day, Joni is a mother, grandmother, and a Sunday school teacher, Sullivan added.
Rubio is not the only possible 2016 Republican presidential hopeful running new television ads in Iowa. On Wednesday, Americans for Economic Freedom, a group with ties to Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, launched an ad featuring Gov. Terry Branstad, R-Iowa, who is running for re-election. The ad, which features Perry, showcases Branstads economic record as the Iowa governor makes the case that there are differences between Republicans and Democrats as governors.
"Gov. Branstad is a principled leader whose focus on creating jobs and keeping taxes low has allowed more Iowa families and businesses to succeed while keeping more of their hard-earned dollars," said Perry on Wednesday. "By advocating economic policies that support job creators, Gov. Branstad has helped to build a culture of entrepreneurship that has put Iowans to work while making Iowa more competitive."
Branstad also got some help from an old ally of Perrys: former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. After Perry dropped out of the Republican presidential primaries in 2012, he threw his support to Gingrich. The former House speaker sits on the board of Americans for Economic Freedom.
"Gov. Branstad has made Iowa a beacon for innovation, helping to attract some of America's greatest tech giants," said Gingrich on Wednesday. "Gov. Branstad's efforts to build a prosperous future for Iowa's families are paying off with overall unemployment down by 30 percent."
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com.
