Theresa Greenfield

Theresa Greenfield (born October 20, 1963) is an American 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
Personal details
Born (1963-10-20) October 20, 1963[1]
Bricelyn, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children4
ResidenceDes Moines, Iowa, U.S.
EducationMinnesota State University, Mankato (BA)
WebsiteCampaign website

Early life and education

Greenfield was born and raised in Bricelyn, Minnesota, a small city near the Iowa–Minnesota border.[3][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

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.[14] 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.[15]

Political campaigns

2018 U.S. House election
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 labeled as "The Avengers".[16][17]

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.[18][19] 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.[20][21][22]

2020 U.S. Senate election
Main article: 2020 United States Senate election in Iowa

On June 3, 2019, Greenfield declared her candidacy for the Senate seat held by first-term Senator Joni Ernst.[23][24] 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.[25][26]

Polls conducted after the primary showed a close contest between Greenfield and Ernst.[27][28][29][30] In early September, political handicappers The Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the race as a toss-up.[31][32] Major media described the race as one of the most likely to decide control of the Senate after the 2020 election.[33][34] Through June 30, 2020, Greenfield had raised $11.5 million, compared to $14.6 million for Ernst.[35] In the third fundraising quarter, Greenfield's campaign raised $28.7 million, more than any Senate candidate in Iowa history.[36] As of October 2020, the race was expected to be the most expensive in the state's history,[37] and the second most expensive Senate race in the United States, after the 2020 United States Senate election in North Carolina.[38]

Greenfield received endorsements from former President Barack Obama,[39] Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar,[40] Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Representative Abby Finkenauer,[41] Representative Dave Loebsack,[41] former Iowa first lady and education advocate Christie Vilsack,[42] and former Lieutenant Governor of Iowa Sally Pederson.[43] She was endorsed by organizations including the Iowa AFL-CIO,[44] Iowa IBEW State Conference,[45] EMILY's List,[46] End Citizens United,[47] and Giffords.[48]

In the general election on November 3, 2020, Ernst defeated Greenfield.[49] Greenfield conceded the race in a speech that night and on her Twitter account the following day.[50][51]

2022 U.S. Senate election
Main article: 2022 United States Senate election in Iowa

Greenfield filed paperwork to run for the Democratic nomination in the 2022 United States Senate Election in Iowa.[52]

Political positions

Healthcare

Greenfield is in favor of the Affordable Care Act and expanding Medicaid.[53] She has supported a public option for health insurance coverage, but does not support Medicare for All.[54] She supports paid sick leave for all workers.[55] She also supports abortion rights.[56]

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.[57] She also called for a statewide mask mandate to alleviate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.[58]

Social safety nets

She supports Social Security and other safety net policies, and has referred to her personal experience as part of her reasons for this.[55]

Campaign finance reform

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.[54] 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.[59]

Environment

She accepts the scientific consensus on climate change, and the need for federal action, linking the climate change to the August 2020 Midwest derecho which caused flooding in Iowa, and has criticized Senator Joni Ernst for taking money from the oil industry and for denying the scientific consensus on climate change.[60]

Personal life

In 1985, Greenfield married Rodney Wirtjes, an electrician, who served as a journeyman lineworker and a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.[61] They settled in Buffalo Center, Iowa.[62] In 1988, Wirtjes was killed in a work accident.[63] At the time, Greenfield was 24 years old, had a one-year-old son, and was pregnant with her second child.[63][64][65] Her second son was born five months later.[64] She credits Social Security, workers' compensation, and family support with helping her during that time.[66]

Greenfield later remarried, to Steve Miller, and they had two more children.[67] One of Greenfield's sons is a member of the United States Army.[68]

Electoral history
2020 United States Senate election in Iowa, Democratic primary[69] [70]
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
  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. "Theresa Greenfield Pitches Humble Roots as She Seeks Crossover Support in Joni Ernst Challenge". Morning Consult. May 28, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  4. Rynard, Pat (February 3, 2018). "Long Hours, Personal Story Propels Theresa Greenfield In 3rd District Race". iowastartingline.com. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  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. 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. "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.
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  15. "Board Members". Windsor Heights Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
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  17. Alter, Charlotte. "January 29th, 2018 | Vol. 191, No. 3 | U.S." TIME.com. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
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  52. "FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1496689". docquery.fec.gov. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
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