Iowa Democrat Theresa Greenfield Denounces Police as Racist

Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-IA) campaign rebuked Iowa Senate Democrat candidate Theresa Greenfield for saying that there is “systemic racism” in America’s law enforcement.

Last Sunday, Greenfield, who hopes to oust Ernst during the 2020 elections, said the country needs to do more to address “systemic racism” and that does not merely include “our policing.”

The Ernst campaign noted that Greenfield has continued to stand by her inflammatory remarks.

Melissa Deatsch, a spokesperson for the Ernst campaign, said in a statement on Wednesday:

As radical liberals and the cancel culture movement sweeps through our communities, Theresa Greenfield put her liberal extremist views on full display calling all Iowa police departments racist. It’s clear that Greenfield is the candidate of the far left, not an independent leader who will stand up for all Iowans, like Joni Ernst.

As many prominent Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have called to defund America’s law enforcement agencies, Ernst urged Greenfield to denounce the “defund the police” movement.

Ernst said in a statement in June that calls to defund the police are “dangerous”:

Let’s be clear: defunding the police is an absurd and radical position. Certainly improvements and changes are needed to make our communities safer, but liberals’ radical call to abolish, defund, and disband our men and women in blue is incredibly irresponsible and dangerous.

She asked rhetorically, “Will Theresa Greenfield join me in denouncing calls to defund or abolish our police officers?”

Jesse Hunt, the National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director, said in a statement in June that Senate Democrats have to answer to voters about how they plan to keep Americans safe while they move to defund the police.

“What once lived on the liberal fringe has now broken through in serious way,” said Hunt. “Senate Democrats everywhere are going to have to answer to voters about how they plan to keep Americans safe while their party seeks to ‘defund the police.’”