Iowa Democrat in ‘farmer’ trouble again?
Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) is facing a new kerfuffle over farmers.
{mosads}Braley seems to claim that he’s a farmer in a video clip circulated by the pro-Republican group America Rising, an unhelpful comment for a Senate candidate who previously landed in hot water for criticizing Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) as a “farmer from Iowa who never went to law school.”
Braley was walking in an Independence Day parade Friday in Iowa Falls greeting parade-watchers when a woman seems to take a shot at those comments.
“We’re farmers,” the parade attendee seems to say.
“So am I,” Braley responds.
“But so is Grassley,” she says.
“So am I,” Braley repeats.
America Rising sent The Hill a longer clip showing the remarks weren’t taken out of context.
Braley is not a farmer, though his father was involved in farming.
Braley’s campaign says that he misheard the woman before taking a shot at his opponent, Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst (R), who grew up on a farm.
“Bruce was walking in a noisy parade celebrating July Fourth and was responding to a comment he heard as ‘we’re for farmers’ by agreeing, ‘so am I,’ and Bruce’s actions back up his words,” Braley spokesman Jeff Giertz said in an email. “Joni Ernst, on the other hand, opposed the Farm Bill and is ‘philosophically opposed’ to the job-creating Renewable Fuel Standard while Bruce fought for three years to pass a new Farm Bill and has fought to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard.”
— This post was updated at 7:05 p.m.
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