Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne has consistently attempted to frame herself to voters as a moderate Democrat that seeks to find bipartisan solutions to issues facing her district and nation with mixed success. Nevertheless, Axne’s recent fundraising collaborators show she is closely aligned with the most radical progressives in the Democratic party.
As the midterms creep closer each day, Axne has embraced the fundraising assistance of members of the liberal members of her party, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal.
Axne was one of the 31 vulnerable House Democrats that saw a $5,000 transfer from Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign. But, according to a Fox News report, “In a sign that some Democrats view Ocasio-Cortez’s money as toxic, four lawmakers returned the donations days after they hit their campaign coffers.” Axne was not one of those lawmakers.
In a separate Fox News Report, it was discovered that Rep. Ocasio-Cortez created a litmus test to receive the contribution.
According to a Bloomberg News report, Representative Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said her contribution to vulnerable democrats like Axne “serves a dual purpose: helping Democrats keep control of the House and building alliances across the party to pass parts of the progressive agenda.“
The progressive agenda includes defunding the police by slashing budgets, abolishing private health insurance and replacing it with a government-run system, and advocating for an open U.S border by abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Just a few weeks ago, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley held a virtual fundraiser for Axne.
Axne’s alignment with these ultra-progressive Democrats has not gone unnoticed.
“From voting to undermine law enforcement to accepting campaign cash from AOC’s extreme anti-police group, it’s clear Cindy Axne has sold out to the radical left,” said Congressional Leadership Fund Press Secretary Cally Perkins. “Crime is out of control andpoliticians like Cindy Axne continue to enable itat every turn.”
Political observers maintain that 2022 is shaping up to be a brutal midterm for Democrats. High inflation, an economy struggling to bounce back from the pandemic, rampant illegal immigration at the southern border have set the stage for a blowout election for Republicans.
Leading the Democratic Party is President Joe Biden. Yet, poll after poll shows that Biden is deeply unpopular, even with his own party’s voters. The most recent Quinnipiac poll showed that only 38% of voters approved his job performance as President.
Axne, first elected in 2018, has her work cut out for her. Axne has never won more than 50% of the vote in her two elections and never won more than one of the 16 counties she represents. Additionally, her seat saw significant changes in the redistricting process, resulting in losing many counties she had run in before.
Axne has also had a run of bad press. She’s been hit with ethics issues stemming from her failure to abide by federal law and report stock trades. Last fall, she criticized Christians and recently abandoned a long-standing campaign pledge not to accept corporate PAC money.
All three top political handicappers, The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Larry Sabato rate the district “Toss-up.”
