Posts Tagged ‘Iowa’

From the Quad City Times:

Brenna Findley worked four jobs to pay for college and the one she’ll draw most heavily on if elected Iowa attorney general will be housecleaning.

She’ll draws on the skills she learned cleaning houses to “clean up the mess in Des Moines,” Findley told the Five Season Republican Women on Tuesday in Cedar Rapids. She cited criticism of Gov. Chet Culver’s administration for problems in the Department of Economic Development’s film office, the Alcoholic Beverages Division and allegations of “pay-to-play” contributions from casino interests.

“We need to air things out and let the sun shine in,” she said.

Findley, a Dexter lawyer, also criticized her opponent, 28-year Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller, for accepting a political contribution from an Iowa family implicated in a national voluntary recall of more than half a billion eggs. Miller accepted a donation in 2005 from Peter DeCoster just five years after Miller’s office labeled his father, Jack DeCoster, Iowa’s first “habitual violator” of state environmental laws.

Read the Rest…

From the Iowa Independent:

Eight-term Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller is in danger of losing in November, at least according to political handicapper Louis Jacobson, who lists the race as a “toss up.”

As a part of his Attorneys General Race Ratings for Governing magazine, the race between Miller and former U.S. Rep. Steve King’s chief of staff Brenna Findley is considered too close to call. In addition to her aggressive campaigning and increased favorability toward Republican candidates nationwide, Findley may also capitalize on the Iowa egg recall that has caught national headlines recently. As The Iowa Independent reported last week, Findley pressured Miller to return a $10,000 campaign donation from the son of the embattled company owner, which Miller did.

Findley has posted huge fundraising numbers, showing nearly $165,000 cash on hand as of the last filing period in July. And she’s picked up major endorsements from the conservative community, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum.

Read the Rest…

From dailydem.com:

In 1978, Iowa elected Tom Miller to be Attorney General and except for four years after he attempted to win the Democratic nomination for governor and lost, he has been in that position. In 1978, Tom Miller was 34 years old.

In 2010, GOP challenger Brenna Findley (R-Dexter) is also 34 years old and looking to unseat the incumbent much like Miller did 32 years ago. She has some endorsements from some big names in the Republican party and has worked with one of the most conservative Iowans there is as Representative Steve King’s chief of staff and legal advisor for the past several years.

She came back to Iowa after that job and got back into private practice and then decided she would like to take on Miller to become the next Attorney General.

“Iowa is facing some serious problems. I want to do something to get the state back on track and get people back to work,” Findley said.

Read the Rest…

From Radio Iowa:

Republican gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad says the state’s attorney general, who is a Democrat, bears some responsibility for the massive egg recall which has created a “black eye” for Iowa’s poultry industry, while Attorney General Tom Miller says Branstad has his facts wrong.

Branstad blasted Miller during an appearance earlier today in Le Mars. “The present attorney general basically let Jack DeCoster off the hook. The whole state of Iowa is getting a black eye for that guy, habitual violator,” Branstad said of DeCoster. “We were on course to have him put out of business before I left office and then they cut a deal with him.”

Read the Rest…

From the Hawkeye:

Spurring job creation isn’t a typical duty for attorneys general, but the Republican candidate for the office, Brenna Findley, knows “brain drain” has been a problem for Iowa, and she wants to help.

Findley, 34 – the same age the current attorney general was when sworn into office in 1978 – already has done a small part in fighting that battle by returning from California to take a job in Iowa.

Raised on a farm outside Dexter, Findley returned to Iowa in 2003 to become chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-5th District. She now has a private law practice in Des Moines.

As a candidate, though, she sees untapped potential for an attorney general.

“A lot of people ask me (how to spur job creation as an attorney general) because it hasn’t been a focus of the current attorney general, and I do it by serving as the problem-solving lawyer on Iowa’s economic development team to bring jobs to Iowa,” Findley said Monday. “I’ll focus on at least two areas: One is frivolous litigation, and red-tape regulations.”

Read the Rest…

From DesMoinesRegister.com:

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin endorsed Iowa Republican candidate Brenna Findley for attorney general today, adding a third 2012 prospect to stand by Findley in the past 24 hours.

Palin, as she has with many of her endorsements, offered it ala Facebook. She did so today with a number of other women candidates, on the 90th anniversary of women being granted the right to vote.

“Pam Bondi and Brenna Findley are running for Attorney General in their states – Pam in Florida, and Brenna in Iowa. These are both bold, sharp, selfless women who will respect our Constitution, defend their states, protect our rights, and push back against any overreach of the federal government. We desperately need these conservative leaders who won’t kowtow to the Obama administration’s big government overreach into our states, small businesses, families, and individual lives. Please visit Pam’s website at www.pambondi.com and Brenna’s at www.findleyforiowa.com.”

Read the Rest…

From WCFCourier.com:

At age 34, in 1978, current Attorney General Tom Miller defeated an incumbent, Richard Turner, to take the office.

Three decades later, Dexter Republican Brenna Findley is hoping lightning will strike twice as she aims to unseat Miller. Findley, who is also 34, hit at Miller, a Democrat, for supporting what she described as anti-business policies and not aggressively keeping corruption out of government.

Findley spoke during a campaign kick-off event in Waterloo for Walt Rogers, a Republican running for the Iowa House District 20 seat. Rogers is challenging State Rep. Doris Kelley, D-Cedar Falls.

Findley previously worked as chief of staff for Congressman Steve King, R-Iowa, before joining the Whitaker Hagenow GMBG law firm in Des Moines.

Findley also said she’d try to take an active role in promoting the economy by objecting to regulations she sees as harmful to small businesses and improving the legal climate for industry.

Read the Rest…

From globegazette.com:

CEDAR RAPIDS – Iowans need a “problem-solving lawyer on their side,” according to Brenna Findley, the Republican candidate for attorney general.

Findley, a Dexter attorney, is pushing a three-point plan of jobs, openness an

Read More

Tags: Iowa  |  Posted under Attorney General News  |  Comments Off on IA: GOP AG Candidate says state needs a Problem Solver

From the Iowa Independent:

Earlier this year, Republican Brenna Findley struggled to outline the differences between herself and incumbent Attorney General Tom Miller. She called for a “new direction” in the attorney general’s office, but stopped short of calling for any specific reforms.

That’s changed. The attorney general race has taken a definite shape, with each candidate taking starkly opposing positions on a handful of controversial national issues, and on at least one recurring state issue.

Miller, an almost 30-year incumbent, has typically enjoyed easy victories. He was unopposed four years ago and earned almost twice as many votes as his Republican opponents in each of the two elections before that. Likely banking on another decisive win, Miller’s campaign so far has been almost entirely quiet.

Read the Rest…