Democrats have their first candidate in the race to unseat Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, in what will be an uphill battle in an increasingly red state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nathan Sage hopes his background as a Marine and Army veteran, mechanic and local sports play-by-play announcer \u2014 as he touts in his launch video \u2014 will connect with working-class voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sage, who is the executive director of the chamber of commerce in Knoxville, Iowa, highlighted his upbringing in his launch video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI never thought someone like me could run for Senate,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen I was 5, my dad got arrested for a bounced check. $50. He was trying to pay for new school clothes for my sister and I. We grew up poor, but I still believed in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the video, Sage also describes places in his state as \u201cbeing abandoned,\u201d adding, \u201cThere\u2019s a war at home, and we\u2019re losing.\u201d He describes a \u201crigged\u201d economy in which \u201cthose in power don\u2019t give a damn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m fighting for a Democratic Party that people like me will actually want to be a part of,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sage is the first Democrat to enter a primary race that is likely to feature additional contenders to take on Ernst, such as state Rep. J.D. Scholten, who made two failed bids for a U.S. House seat in a deep-red district and said he is considering joining the contest<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Defeating Ernst, though, will be tough for Democrats in a state that has trended further right since Barack Obama won it in 2008 and 2012. Last fall, Donald Trump won Iowa by 13 percentage points after he won it by 8 in 2020. Ernst, a two-term incumbent who is also a veteran, won her 2020 race by 6 points and her 2014 contest by 9. The Cook Political Report rates the seat as solidly Republican<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n