New Polling shows Democratic Challenger Nathan Sage leads Incumbent Republican Senator Joni Ernst 47%-45%

Poll by Data for Progress...

Note: The photo above is a screenshot of a column about my friend Nathan Sage’s campaign stop in Cedar Rapids by Tom Barton in the Gazette on Sunday. Nathan is running to defeat Republican incumbent Joni Ernst. I’d love to summarize the column, but it’s better if you read the whole thing here. The Gazette is one of the last great newspapers, so I want to point you to Tom’s important work there. Please consider subscribing—I do. I also listen to every episode of the Gazette’s On Iowa Politics podcast.

Trish Nelson with Blog for Iowa and Paul Brennan with Little Village covered Nathan’s event in Iowa City on Monday. Both of these publications are must-reads too.

And check out this article and interview by Jessica Burbank at DropSite News.

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As many of you know, before reading this post, Nathan Sage is running as a Democrat to unseat the Republican incumbent, the coward, and Trump/Musk pawn Joni Ernst. I told the story about how and why he decided to run here. Nathan grew up poor in a trailer park in Mason City, Iowa, in the shadow of a meat processing plant. Seeing no way out for his future, he did three tours of duty in Iraq and went to school on the GI Bill, majoring in journalism. He’s now Executive Director of the Knoxville, Iowa Chamber of Commerce. For more on his background, visit the Sage for Senate website.

Here is some of what I wrote about Nathan in April:

Have you ever lived paycheck to paycheck, pounded a bazillion nails, busted your knuckles day in and day out turning wrenches, waited tables until you dropped, stacked shelves until you can’t raise your arms anymore, or had a bad back and carpal tunnel syndrome from being chained to a keyboard all day? Do you have bad knees from years spent working on factory floors? Have you ever replaced the tires on your car two at a time because you can’t really afford one new tire, let alone four? Have you ever had bosses treat you like dirt, no matter how hard you worked? Do you appreciate the protections unions gave us, like the 40-hour work week and child labor laws? Have you ever had insurance companies screw you over? Get into a fender bender, and they give you pennies on the dollar for your vehicle? Ever missed a car payment? Two? Three? Do you know anyone who was denied medical coverage by their insurance company? Know anyone who went broke from medical debt? Are you outraged that people suffer and die because the health insurance algorithms put profit over human lives, so the CEOs can pile their stacks of money as high and wide as they can?

If so, then Nathan Sage is your candidate.

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I’m not paid by the campaign, and never will be. But Nathan is my friend, and I know he’s the working-class Senator Iowa needs now, and I’m privy to some of what the campaign is doing. They did some early polling, and below are the results against three candidates who are reportedly considering running in the Democratic primary.

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I’m encouraged by these results, as is the campaign. Actually, all of us are thrilled.

This poll suggests that people like—no love—the idea of Nathan Sage. As they get to know him, his popularity will only increase. People love what he has to say at his campaign stops and how he says it, as the columns by Tom Barton and Trish Nelson suggest, as well as at his campaign stop in Des Moines, as the Des Moines Register reported. People know that Nathan is one of us, and that Joni Ernst is a billionaire stooge.

Let me say here that J.D., Jackie, and Zach are all good people, and I thank them for their service to Iowa, but I think that a no-nonsense working-class veteran has the best chance to beat Joni Ernst.

Nathan’s not a typical candidate. He’s not a politician, and that’s an asset. Some might wonder why he didn’t “pay his dues” and go the more traditional route of first running for lower office, perhaps with a run for city council, the Iowa Legislature, or whatever.

In living his life and serving our country, Nathan has paid his dues many times over. America is sick of politicians. He’s not one of them. He’s one of us.

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We need Nathan in the Senate, and Nathan needs our help to get him there. He needs volunteers, and he needs donations. Volunteer and donate here if you are so inclined. Joni Ernst has millions of dollars banked, and she has been bought and paid for by Elon Musk and the rest of the billionaire class.

Nathan Sage only has us, so please consider making a donation by clicking here.

By being part of the Sage campaign, you can be proud when your kids and grandkids ask you, “What did you do when the fascists Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Joni Ernst came for America?”

You can say, “I fought like hell.”

Please consider leaving a comment for Nathan. Follow him on Facebook here and on all other social media @sageforiowa.

Thank you.

And if you want to support Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, here you go:

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My content will always be free, as for over 60 years the words of Simon and Garfunkle in their 1964 song, “The Sound of Silence” have influenced me, “the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls,” and I’m not going to paywall them out should they be interested in my writing. My favorite version is by “Disturbed.”

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I’m a proud member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Please check out our work here. Subscribe! Become a paid subscriber if you can afford it. Please and thank you. We need you. Thanks for being part of the team! Want to buy me lunch or a cup of coffee? Venmo @Robert-Leonard-238. My friend Spencer Dirks and I have a podcast titled The Iowa Revolution. Check it out! We can get ornery. And have fun! I also publish Cedar Creek Nature Notes, about Violet the Dog and my adventures on our morning walks at Cedar Bluffs Natural Area in Mahaska County, Iowa.

Here is the Zoom link for this month’s Office Lounge for paid subscribers. It’s always held on the last Friday of the month at noon, except for November and December.