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Theresa Greenfield

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Theresa Greenfield (born October 20, 1963)[1] is an American businesswoman, government official, and former political candidate. She was the Democratic nominee for the 2020 United States Senate election in Iowa, losing to incumbent Republican Joni Ernst.[2]

Theresa Greenfield
Greenfield in 2021
Born (1963-10-20) October 20, 1963 (age 61)
Bricelyn, Minnesota, U.S.
EducationMinnesota State University, Mankato (BA)
Political partyDemocratic
Children4

On November 18, 2021, Greenfield was appointed USDA Rural Development director for Iowa.[3]

Early life and education

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Greenfield was born and raised in Bricelyn, Minnesota, a small city near the Iowa–Minnesota border.[4] She was one of five children.[5] Her parents raised hogs and grew crops on a small farm, and her father was also a crop dusting pilot.[6] She helped with farm jobs such as driving tractors and grain trucks, bailing hay, and feeding hogs; and by the age of 16, assisted in negotiating contract terms and demarcating fields for the family crop-dusting business.[7][8]

Greenfield took courses at Iowa Lakes Community College[9] and Iowa State University before graduating from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in design and human development.[10]

Business career

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After graduating from Minnesota State, Greenfield worked as an urban planner and later began working in real estate development.[11]

In 2005, Greenfield took a position at the home building company Rottlund Homes in Roseville, Minnesota, where she was named president of the Iowa division in 2007.[12] In 2012, she became president of the Des Moines commercial real estate firm Colby Interests,[13] based in Windsor Heights, Iowa. She is a member of the board of the American Institute of Certified Planners, Commercial Real Estate Women of Iowa, and the Windsor Heights Chamber of Commerce.[14][failed verification]

Political campaigns

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2018 U.S. House election

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Main article: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa § District 3

In July 2017, Greenfield announced her candidacy for the 2018 Democratic nomination in Iowa's 3rd congressional district. As a female Democratic candidate in 2018, she was featured on the cover of Time along with other female candidates, who were collectively labeled "The Avengers".[15]

She withdrew from the race in March 2018 after learning her campaign manager had falsified some of the 1,790 required signatures to qualify her for the ballot.[16][17] Her campaign tried to collect a new set of signatures in the 24 hours before the filing deadline, but was only able to acquire 1,592 valid signatures.[18][19][20]

2020 U.S. Senate election

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Main article: 2020 United States Senate election in Iowa
 
Greenfield campaigning in a cornfield

On June 3, 2019, Greenfield declared her candidacy for the Senate seat held by first-term senator Joni Ernst.[21][22] On June 2, 2020, she won the Democratic primary with 47.71% of the vote, defeating three other major candidates, including Michael T. Franken, a retired U.S. Navy admiral and former aide to U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy.[23][24]

Polls conducted after the primary showed a close contest between Greenfield and Ernst.[25][26][27][28] In early September, political handicappers The Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the race as a toss-up.[29][30] Major media described the race as one of the most likely to decide control of the Senate after the 2020 election.[31][32] Through June 30, 2020, Greenfield had raised $11.5 million, compared to $14.6 million for Ernst.[33] In the third fundraising quarter, Greenfield's campaign raised $28.7 million, more than any Senate candidate in Iowa history. As of October 2020, the race was expected to be the most expensive in the state's history,[34] and the second most expensive Senate race in the United States, after the 2020 United States Senate election in North Carolina.[35]

Greenfield received endorsements from former president Barack Obama,[36] Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar,[37] Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Representative Abby Finkenauer,[38] Representative Dave Loebsack,[38] former Iowa first lady and education advocate Christie Vilsack, and former lieutenant governor of Iowa Sally Pederson. She was endorsed by organizations including the Iowa AFL-CIO,[39] Iowa IBEW State Conference,[40] EMILY's List,[41] End Citizens United,[42] and Giffords.[43]

In the general election on November 3, 2020, she was defeated by incumbent Ernst, winning only 8 of the state's 99 counties and finishing six points behind the incumbent.[44] Greenfield conceded the race in a speech that night.[45]

Department of Agriculture

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Greenfield's official Department of Agriculture portrait

In 2021, President Joe Biden appointed Greenfield as Iowa director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program. Greenfield works under U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, a former Governor of Iowa.[46]

Political positions

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Healthcare

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Greenfield is in favor of the Affordable Care Act and expanding Medicaid.[47] She has supported a public option for health insurance coverage, but does not support Medicare for All.[48] She supports paid sick leave for all workers.[49] She also supports abortion rights.[50]

She has called for further federal stimulus to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, including direct payments to individuals, extending expanded unemployment benefits, and expanded Paycheck Protection Program payments for small businesses.[51] She also called for a statewide mask mandate to alleviate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.[52]

Social safety nets

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She supports Social Security and other safety net policies, and has referred to her personal experience as part of her reasons for this.[49]

Campaign finance reform

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Greenfield supports campaign finance reform and supports the overturning of Citizens United v. FEC, a Supreme Court decision that prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political communications by corporations.[48] She proposed a ban on corporate Political Action Committee money, passing lobbying reforms, and overturning the Supreme Court's decision on Citizens United. She supports the Stop Swaps, Protect Local Jobs Act.[53][failed verification]

Environment

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She accepts the scientific consensus on climate change, linking the climate change to the August 2020 Midwest derecho which caused flooding in Iowa. She criticized Senator Joni Ernst for taking money from the oil industry and for denying the scientific consensus on climate change.[54]

Personal life

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In 1985, Greenfield married Rodney Wirtjes, an electrician, who served as a journeyman lineworker and a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.[55] They settled in Buffalo Center, Iowa.[56] In 1988, Wirtjes was killed in a work accident.[57] At the time Greenfield was 24 years old, with a one-year-old son, and was pregnant with her second son[57][58][59] who was born five months later.[58]

Greenfield later married Steve Miller, with whom she had two more children.[60][better source needed] Their youngest son, Dane, is a member of the United States Army.[61][62]

Electoral history

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2020 United States Senate election in Iowa, Democratic primary[63] [64]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Theresa Greenfield 131,985 47.71%
Democratic Michael T. Franken 68,843 24.88%
Democratic Kimberly Graham 41,547 15.02%
Democratic Eddie Mauro 30,396 10.99%
Democratic Cal Woods (withdrawn) 3,371 1.21%
Democratic Write-In 512 0.19%
Total votes 276,654 100.0%
United States Senate election in Iowa, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Joni Ernst (incumbent) 864,997 51.8
Democratic Theresa Greenfield 754,859 45.2
Libertarian Rick Stewart 36,961 2.2
Independent Suzanne Herzog 13,800 0.8
Write-in 1,211 0.1
Total votes 1,671,828 100.00%

References

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  1. ^ "Candidate Conversation – Theresa Greenfield (D)". Inside Elections. December 19, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  2. ^ Noble, Jason (July 5, 2017). "Real estate executive Theresa Greenfield joins 3rd District race for Congress". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  3. ^ Eller, Donnelle (November 18, 2021). "Theresa Greenfield to lead Iowa rural development; Matt Russell to head state's Farm Service Agency". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "Theresa Greenfield Pitches Humble Roots as She Seeks Crossover Support in Joni Ernst Challenge". Morning Consult. May 28, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  5. ^ Minor, Vicki (March 11, 2020). "Senate candidate holds meet and greet". Winterset Madisonian. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  6. ^ Grob, James (December 8, 2019). "Greenfield hopes to take small-town values to Washington, D.C." Charles City Press. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  7. ^ Rios, Carmen (May 28, 2020). "THERESA GREENFIELD: GIVE AMERICANS A SECOND CHANCE". DAME. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  8. ^ "IA-03: "Business leader, mother and farm kid" Theresa Greenfield officially running". Bleeding Heartland. July 5, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  9. ^ Matheny, Ryan (July 24, 2020). "Greenfield calls for extension of expanded unemployment benefits during pandemic". KMAland.com. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  10. ^ Peterson, Mike (October 26, 2020). "Meet the Candidates: Theresa Greenfield". KMAland.com. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  11. ^ Rosenberg, Benjamin (October 16, 2020). "Joni Ernst didn't know the price of soybeans. Here's why that could cost her". Vox. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  12. ^ Brownlee, Mike (July 8, 2017). "Fourth Democrat enters the race for David Young's seat in Iowa". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  13. ^ Darr, Kent (August 22, 2014). "The Colby Family Carries On" (PDF). Business Record. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  14. ^ "Board Members". Windsor Heights Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  15. ^ Alter, Charlotte (January 18, 2018). "January 29th, 2018 | Vol. 191, No. 3". Time. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  16. ^ Noble, Jason (March 28, 2018). "Rejected from primary ballot again, Democrat Theresa Greenfield calls it quits". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  17. ^ Rodriguez, Barbara (April 7, 2019). "Ex-campaign manager for Theresa Greenfield apologizes in ad over 2018's fake signatures". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  18. ^ Bowman, Bridget (March 29, 2018). "Ballot Debacle Shakes Up Democratic House Primary in Iowa". Roll Call. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  19. ^ Noble, Jason (March 16, 2018). "Alleged paperwork forgery forces Theresa Greenfield to resubmit candidacy at literally the last minute". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  20. ^ "Democratic Candidate Theresa Greenfield Fails to Make it on Primary Ballot". who13.com. March 19, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  21. ^ Murphy, Erin (June 3, 2019). "Theresa Greenfield joins Iowa's U.S. Senate race". The Gazette. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  22. ^ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (June 3, 2019). "Democrat Theresa Greenfield launches bid against Republican Sen. Joni Ernst". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  23. ^ "State of Iowa 2020 Primary Election Results". The Des Moines Register. June 3, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  24. ^ Pfannenstiel, Brianne. "Theresa Greenfield to take on Joni Ernst in high-profile battle for U.S. Senate seat". Des Moines Register. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  25. ^ "Iowa Senate - Ernst vs. Greenfield". RealClear Politics. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  26. ^ "Iowa U.S. Senate Polls". FiveThirtyEight. June 28, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  27. ^ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (June 13, 2020). "Iowa Poll: Theresa Greenfield leads Joni Ernst in tight race for U.S. Senate". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  28. ^ "IOWA: CLOSE CONTESTS FOR PREZ & SENATE" (Press release). West Long Branch, NJ: Monmouth University. August 5, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  29. ^ "2020 Senate Race Ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  30. ^ "Crystal Ball 2020 Senate Ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  31. ^ Phillips, Amber (August 7, 2020). "The most competitive Senate races of 2020". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  32. ^ Nilsen, Ella (September 14, 2020). "The ways Democrats could retake the Senate majority, explained". Vox. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  33. ^ Panetta, Grace (August 7, 2020). "What you need to know about the US Senate election in Iowa between Joni Ernst and Theresa Greenfield". Business Insider. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  34. ^ Gabriel, Trip (September 2, 2020). "Joni Ernst, in a Tight Senate Race, Repeats a Debunked Coronavirus Theory". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  35. ^ Pfannenstiel, Brianne. "In a slew of competitive Senate races, Iowa's draws second-highest advertising spending in the country". Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  36. ^ Obama, Barack (August 3, 2020). "First Wave of 2020 Endorsements". medium.com. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  37. ^ Arkin, James (May 24, 2020). "The political neophyte Democrats are betting on to capture the Senate". Politico. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  38. ^ a b Pfannenstiel, Brianne (May 10, 2020). "Democratic challengers fight for momentum in muted Iowa Senate primary". The Hawk Eye. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  39. ^ "Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO Endorses Theresa Greenfield for US Senate" (Press release). Iowa Labor News. April 20, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  40. ^ Cross, Jim (December 12, 2019). "Union endorses Greenfield". Globe Gazette. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  41. ^ "EMILY's List Endorses Theresa Greenfield for U.S. Senate in Iowa". www.emilyslist.org.
  42. ^ "PAC backing Democrat Greenfield targets Ernst". The Gazette.
  43. ^ "Theresa Greenfield". giffords.
  44. ^ "Iowa U.S. Senate Election Results". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  45. ^ "Theresa Greenfield concedes Iowa U.S. Senate race". news.yahoo.com. November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  46. ^ Eller, Donnelle. "Theresa Greenfield to lead Iowa rural development; Matt Russell to head state's Farm Service Agency". The Des Moines Register.
  47. ^ Lynch, James Q. (May 19, 2020). "Iowa Democratic Senate hopefuls demonstrate differences in TV debate". Quad City Times. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  48. ^ a b "Candidate Forum —Theresa Greenfield, Senate — Democrat". Times-Republican. September 12, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  49. ^ a b "Theresa Greenfield, U.S. Senate candidate, meets with Register journalists". The Des Moines Register. May 7, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  50. ^ "Theresa Greenfield on Abortion". Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  51. ^ "Greenfield says COVID stimulus package desperately needed". Iowa PBS. August 14, 2020. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  52. ^ Masters, Clay (September 13, 2020). "'So Skeptical': As Election Nears, Iowa Senator Under Pressure For COVID-19 Remarks". NPR. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  53. ^ "Finkenauer Introduces Legislation to Protect Iowa's High-Skilled Workforce and Ensure Infrastructure Projects Use USA-Made Materials". Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  54. ^ Gustin, Georgina (September 10, 2020). "Senate 2020: Iowa Farmers Are Feeling the Effects of Climate Change. That Could Make Things Harder for Joni Ernst". InsideClimate News. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  55. ^ Marans, Daniel (May 12, 2020). "Democrats Pin Hopes On Social Security In Iowa Senate Race". The Huffington Post.
  56. ^ Peterson, Amy (October 11, 2020). "U.S. Senate candidate visits Estherville". Estherville News. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  57. ^ a b "Rodney Wirtjes Electrocuted In Power Line Accident Friday, June 3" (PDF). Buffalo Center Tribune. June 9, 1988. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  58. ^ a b Wirtjes v. Interstate Power Co. (Minnesota Supreme Court February 7, 1992), Text.
  59. ^ Crabtree, Susan (July 11, 2020). "Defund-Police Push Has Key Dem Candidates on Defense". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved September 23, 2020. Her husband, Rob, a lineman at the local power company, was killed in workplace accident years ago…
  60. ^ "IA-03: "Business leader, mother and farm kid" Theresa Greenfield officially running". Bleeding Heartland. July 5, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  61. ^ Harden, Ray (November 3, 2017). "Greenfield learned hard way value of Social Security, union benefits". The Perry News. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  62. ^ "Military & Veterans". Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  63. ^ "Election Night Reporting | UNITED STATES SENATE - DEMOCRATIC". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Iowa Secretary of State.
  64. ^ Panetta, Grace. "Theresa Greenfield wins the Democratic primary for US Senate in Iowa". Business Insider. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
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