The Des Moines Register | December 10th, 2021

"U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley praised her colleague U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne at a virtual fundraiser Thursday, urging Polk County Democrats to "decisively" return her to office in 2022.

'I hope that you will never take her leadership for granted and that we decisively return her, because she is sorely needed, and we're all better for her advocacy,' said Pressley, a Massachusetts Democrat and a member of the progressive 'Squad.'

Pressley called Axne a 'steadfast voice' on issues like 'economic justice for our workers, expanding access to educational and job training opportunities, advancing racial justice, standing up for the rights of women, veterans (and) the LGBTQ community.'

The appearance comes as Axne begins to gear up for another competitive election cycle. Iowa’s 3rd District congressional race will be a top-tier matchup nationally as Republicans target the seat in their efforts to flip control of the House in 2022. 

Axne has already been the subject of numerous attack ads from groups like the National Republican Congressional Committee. She’s one of only a handful of congressional Democrats in the country to win in a district Trump carried in 2020, though she won by a narrow margin.

[...]

Iowa Republicans seized on the event in an effort to link Axne to Pressley's controversial support for defunding the police. 

'Cindy Axne is finally showing her true colors and campaigning with radical Squad member Ayanna Pressley, a leader in the national Defund the Police movement,' Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement. "For years now, Axne has tried to fool Iowans into believing she is a moderate. However, Iowans know the Democrat Party has changed. There are no moderates left, just ones who lie about their agenda and ones who are honest about their hatred for our country and its values.'

Read the full story here.

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