(CNN) — Nine-term Congressman Steve King of Iowa will lose his Republican primary race to state Sen. Randy Feenstra, CNN has projected.
King’s racist comments led to his ostracization in Washington, and Feenstra mobilized conservative Republicans to his insurgent campaign.
“I called Randy Feenstra a little bit ago and conceded the race to him,” King said in a video posted to Facebook early Wednesday. “And I pointed out that there’s some powerful elements in the swamp that he’s going to have an awfully hard time pushing back against them.”
The primary fight was an undeniable referendum on King — not on his conservatism, but on his effectiveness in office. His lack of power, far more than his specific words and history of remarks on race, became a central issue in this year’s race, with opponents arguing that he is unable to represent their views in the House or to the administration.
King, an anti-immigration hardliner, had a well-documented history of controversial statements during his nine terms in office. But only after a New York Times interview in January 2019, in which the congressman questioned why the terms “white nationalist” and “white supremacist” were offensive, did House Republican leaders rebuke him by stripping him of his committee assignments. Last June, the Trump administration barred him from Air Force One when the president visited his state.
King has said that his words have been mischaracterized and taken out of context, blaming the media and Republican leaders for leading a vendetta against him.
“The Never Trumpers are the people who ginned this all up,” King said in a recent debate, speaking with an air of defiance about the Republicans “who want Steve King out of the way.”
In his concession speech, King said those forces pushed him out of office.
“This comes from an effort to push out the strongest voice for full spectrum, constitutional Christian conservatism that exists in the United States Congress,” King said.
Feenstra was viewed as King’s toughest opponent in a five-way race that included former state legislator Jeremy Taylor, businessmen Steve Reeder and Army veteran Bret Richards.
“I am truly humbled by the outpouring of support over the past 17 months that made tonight possible and I thank Congressman King for his decades of public service,” Feenstra said in a statement. “As we turn to the general election, I will remain focused on my plans to deliver results for the families, farmers and communities of Iowa. But first, we must make sure this seat doesn’t land in the hands of Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies in Congress. Tomorrow, we get back to work.”
Feenstra had won marquee endorsements and financial support from conservative groups in Washington, including the Chamber of Commerce and the National Right to Life Committee. He told voters he wanted a seat on the House Agriculture Committee — something King no longer has. And he boasted a much greater campaign war chest, reporting over $415,000 on hand at the end of March compared to less than $30,000 for King.
GOP National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted congratulations to Feenstra early Wednesday and said that “King’s white supremacist rhetoric is totally inconsistent with the Republican Party, and I’m glad Iowa Republicans rejected him at the ballot box.”
Though the district is deep-red, Democrat J.D. Scholten, a former professional baseball player, came within three points of beating King in 2018 and is running again.
The-CNN-Wire
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