Economy-focused Dems headlining Iowa fundraiser

Three Democratic lawmakers who have urged their party to turn toward an economy-focused agenda are set to headline a high-profile Democratic fundraiser in Iowa next month. 

Reps. Seth Moulton (Mass.), Tim Ryan (Ohio) and Cheri Bustos (Ill.) will make appearances at the Polk County Steak Fry in Des Moines, the county’s Democratic Party announced Wednesday. 

All three lawmakers have pushed the Democratic Party in recent months to tone down its criticism of President Trump’s populist rhetoric and embrace an economic message geared toward working-class voters.

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“Clearly, we need to get back to an economic message,” Moulton told the Des Moines Register in an interview Tuesday. “We need to listen. We need to hear the frustrations of people out there who are losing their jobs, who not making the wages they used to make, and we need to talk about real solutions.”

Moulton and Ryan have been among the fiercest critics of their party’s leadership. Ryan challenged Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for her House minority leader role in November, and Moulton has repeatedly called for Pelosi to step down from the party’s leadership.

Ryan and Moulton’s scheduled appearances in Iowa also fuel speculation that the two men could mount bids to challenge Trump in 2020.

Other potential Democratic contenders who have made stops in Iowa already include Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who ran in 2016, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who has been the subject of speculation about a White House run.