Theresa Greenfield
Theresa Greenfield (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Iowa. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Due to nationwide changes in election administration in 2020, Ballotpedia is exercising increased caution before projecting elections winners. Click here to read our new election calling policy and vote total update schedule.
Greenfield was a 2018 Democratic candidate for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House. Greenfield was disqualified from the election before the primary scheduled for June 5, 2018.[1]
Contents
2020 battleground election
Joni Ernst (R) defeated Theresa Greenfield (D), Rick Stewart (L), and Suzanne Herzog (I) in the election for U.S. Senate in Iowa on November 3, 2020.
The outcome of this race affected partisan control of the U.S. Senate. Thirty-five of 100 seats were up for election, including two special elections. At the time of the election, Republicans had a 53-45 majority over Democrats in the Senate. Independents who caucus with the Democrats held the two remaining seats. Republicans faced greater partisan risk in the election. They defended 23 seats while Democrats defended 12. Both parties had two incumbents representing states the opposite party's presidential nominee won in 2016.
Ernst was running for a second term in office after first being elected in 2014. That year, she defeated Bruce Braley (D) by a margin of 8.3 percentage points to flip Iowa's Class II Senate seat, which had been held by Tom Harkin (D) since 1984. Iowa had 31 Pivot Counties, which voted for Obama twice before backing Trump in 2016, the most of any state. During the 2018 midterm elections, Democratic candidates defeated Republican incumbents in two of Iowa's four congressional districts, switching the partisan control of U.S. House seats in the state from a Republican 3-1 majority to a Democratic 3-1 majority. As of August 19, 2020, three election forecasters rated the race a toss-up.
Herzog completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connections survey. Click here to view her responses.
Elections
2020
See also: United States Senate election in Iowa, 2020
United States Senate election in Iowa, 2020 (June 2 Democratic primary)
United States Senate election in Iowa, 2020 (June 2 Republican primary)
General election for U.S. Senate Iowa
Incumbent Joni Ernst defeated Theresa Greenfield, Rick Stewart, and Suzanne Herzog in the general election for U.S. Senate Iowa on November 3, 2020.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Joni Ernst (R) |
51.7
|
855,575 |
|
|
Theresa Greenfield (D) |
45.2
|
749,116 | |
|
|
Rick Stewart (L) |
2.2
|
36,539 | |
|
|
Suzanne Herzog (Independent) |
0.8
|
13,643 | |
| Other/Write-in votes |
0.1
|
1,193 | ||
|
|
Total votes: 1,656,066 |
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Iowa
Theresa Greenfield defeated Michael Franken, Kimberly Graham, Eddie Mauro, and Cal Woods (Unofficially withdrew) in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Iowa on June 2, 2020.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Theresa Greenfield |
47.7
|
132,001 |
|
|
Michael Franken |
24.9
|
68,851 | |
|
|
Kimberly Graham |
15.0
|
41,554 | |
|
|
Eddie Mauro |
11.0
|
30,400 | |
|
|
Cal Woods (Unofficially withdrew) |
1.2
|
3,372 | |
| Other/Write-in votes |
0.2
|
514 | ||
|
|
Total votes: 276,692 |
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Iowa
Incumbent Joni Ernst advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Iowa on June 2, 2020.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Joni Ernst |
98.6
|
226,589 |
| Other/Write-in votes |
1.4
|
3,132 | ||
|
|
Total votes: 229,721 |
Candidate profile
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
None
Greenfield received a bachelor's degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato, in 1991. She worked as a regional and urban planner from 1992 to 2005. From 2005 to 2011, she worked as the director of real estate and division of Rottlund Homes of Iowa. Greenfield became president of Colby Interests, a Des Moines-area real estate and development company, in 2012.
Sources: YouTube, "Commitment 2020 Senate Forum Pt. 1," May 19, 2020, YouTube, "Support," May 20, 2020, YouTube, "Knock," May 18, 2020, Greenfield's 2020 campaign website, "About Theresa," accessed May 22, 2020, Greenfield's 2020 campaign website, "Growing Opportunity in Rural Iowa," accessed May 22, 2020, LinkedIn, "Theresa Greenfield," accessed May 21, 2020
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
| U.S. Senate election in Iowa, 2020: General election polls | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Date |  Ernst
|
 Greenfield
|
 Stewart
|
 Herzog
|
Other | Margin of error | Sample size | Sponsor |
| Quinnipiac University | Oct. 23-27, 2020 | 48% | 46% | -- | -- | 5% | ±2.8 | 1,225 | -- |
| Siena College Research Institute | Oct. 18-20, 2020 | 45% | 44% | 2% | 2% | 8% | ±3.9 | 753 | The New York Times |
| Insider Advantage | Oct. 18-19, 2020 | 43% | 48% | 5% | 0% | 3% | ±4.9 | 400 | Center for American Greatness |
| Scott Rasmussen | Oct. 15-21, 2020 | 43% | 48% | 2% | -- | 8% | ±3.5 | 800 | PoliticalIQ.com |
| Monmouth University | Oct. 15-19, 2020 | 47% | 47% | 1% | 1% | 3% | ±4.4 | 501 | -- |
| Click [show] to see older poll results | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Date | Ernst
|
Greenfield
|
Stewart
|
Herzog
|
Other | Margin of error | Sample size | Sponsor |
| Data for Progress | Oct. 8-11, 2020 | 43% | 47% | 2% | 1% | 6% | ±3.4 | 822 | -- |
| YouGov | Oct. 6-9, 2020 | 43% | 47% | -- | -- | 10% | ±3.5 | 1,048 | CBS News |
| Opinion Insight | Oct. 6-8, 2020 | 45% | 44% | -- | -- | 10% | ±3.5 | 800 | American Action Forum |
| Civiqs | Oct. 3-6, 2020 | 46% | 49% | 2% | 1% | 3% | ±3.9 | 756 | Daily Kos |
| Quinnipiac University | Oct. 1-5, 2020 | 45% | 50% | -- | -- | 5% | ±2.8 | 1,205 | -- |
| Data for Progress | Sept. 23-28, 2020 | 42% | 44% | 1% | 1% | 12% | ±3.6 | 743 | -- |
| Monmouth University | Sept. 18-22, 2020 | 47% | 47% | 1% | <1% | 4% | ±4.9 | 402 | -- |
| Selzer & Company | Sept. 14-17, 2020 | 42% | 45% | -- | -- | 12% | ±3.8 | 658 | The Des Moines Register |
| Public Policy Polling | Aug. 13-14, 2020 | 45% | 48% | -- | -- | 8% | -- | 729 | -- |
| Monmouth University | July 30 - Aug. 3, 2020 | 48% | 45% | 1% | 1% | 4% | ±4.9 | 401 | -- |
| RMG Research | July 27-30, 2020 | 36% | 40% | -- | -- | 24% | ±4.5 | 500 | U.S. Term Limits |
| SPRY Strategies | July 11-16, 2020 | 43% | 45% | -- | -- | 13% | ±3.7 | 701 | American Principles Project |
| Selzer & Co. | June 7-10, 2020 | 43% | 46% | -- | -- | 11% | ±3.8 | 674 | Des Moines Register |
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election. It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are automatically updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[2]
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theresa Greenfield | Democratic Party | $47,539,579 | $43,766,774 | $3,772,805 | As of October 14, 2020 |
| Joni Ernst | Republican Party | $20,852,035 | $19,721,548 | $2,493,637 | As of October 14, 2020 |
| Suzanne Herzog | Independent | $17,863 | $17,525 | $338 | As of October 14, 2020 |
| Rick Stewart | Libertarian Party | $8,330 | $12,435 | $-4,105 | As of October 14, 2020 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," .
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[3][4][5]
This section lists satellite spending in this race as reported and analyzed by Circa Victor. Spending reported as being in support of a candidate is marked with an (S) and spending reported as opposing a candidate is marked with an (O).
Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from three outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[6]
- Tossup ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[7][8][9]
| Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Iowa, 2020 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 3, 2020 | October 27, 2020 | October 20, 2020 | October 13, 2020 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean Republican | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Toss-up | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season. | |||||||||
2018
General election for U.S. House Iowa District 3
The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. House Iowa District 3 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Cindy Axne (D) |
49.3
|
175,642 |
|
|
David Young (R) |
47.1
|
167,933 | |
|
|
Bryan Holder (L) |
2.0
|
7,267 | |
|
|
Mark Elworth Jr. (Legal Medical Now Party) |
0.6
|
2,015 | |
|
|
Paul Knupp (G) |
0.5
|
1,888 | |
|
|
Joe Grandanette (Independent) |
0.4
|
1,301 | |
| Other/Write-in votes |
0.1
|
195 | ||
|
|
Total votes: 356,241 (100.00% precincts reporting) |
Democratic primary for U.S. House Iowa District 3
Cindy Axne defeated Eddie Mauro and Pete D'Alessandro in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Iowa District 3 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Cindy Axne |
58.0
|
32,910 |
|
|
Eddie Mauro |
26.4
|
15,006 | |
|
|
Pete D'Alessandro |
15.6
|
8,874 | |
|
|
Total votes: 56,790 |
Republican primary for U.S. House Iowa District 3
Incumbent David Young advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Iowa District 3 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
David Young |
100.0
|
21,712 |
|
|
Total votes: 21,712 |
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Theresa Greenfield did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign ads
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See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ WHOtv.com, "Theresa Greenfield’s Ex-Campaign Manager to Go to Trial," accessed February 6, 2020
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2020 Quarterly reports," accessed September 21, 2020
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
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