'Tidal wave on our hands': Furious voters say Trump's turning key red state purple

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Raw Story

July 18, 2025 6:36PM ET


Angry voters in Iowa could turn the state from solid red to a swing state because they feel betrayed by President Donald Trump on issues from healthcare to agriculture. According to an article in Newsweek, Iowa has "leaned Republicans" for nearly a decade, with Trump carrying the state "by 9 points in 2016, 8 points in 2020, and about the same in 2024."

But that could soon change if the latest polling is accurate. "Democrats and independents argue that key parts of Trump's agenda — from cutting Medicaid to promoting cane sugar over corn syrup — are alienating voters in this farm-heavy state," wrote politics reporter Jesus Mesa.

Trump recently bragged on social media that he convinced Coca-Cola to use cane sugar over corn syrup in its American product. "This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!" he wrote. One corn and soybean farmer told Newsweek the "move was 'a betrayal' of Trump's own 'America First' pledge."

Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Julie Stauch told Newsweek, "People on the ground here are definitely very angry about a wide variety of things Republicans are doing. They're allowing themselves to be intimidated by a bully... but voters feel the impact of those decisions."

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-iowa-2673370943/

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Dried up prune ASSley has facilitated this but Castration Ernst is the one up for reelection in 2026 and has recently been equivocating about running again after throwing people in general, 6ft under the bus.

Iowa DID vote for Obama twice (although I think some of that was because of his presence in neighboring IL in the state legislature).

[Vogon_Glory]

1. Wakey, wakey, Iowa! The MAGA-Republican cuts are what affect YOU directly!

THESE are the things that DIRECTLY affect you and yours, not post Transgenders in the bathrooms or books about colored people on your libraries’ bookshelves!

The Republican politicians have been lying to you for years. You can stand up for you and yours or get screwed over yet again.

And if better times return, don’t forget the people who put you in misery and despair. Stop their political returns! Keep them out!

[J_William_Ryan]

2. "Angry voters in Iowa..."

No, stupid voters in Iowa – and everywhere else.

They knew who and what Trump is; they knew what Congressional Republicans would do – they’re in no position to be ‘angry,’ they have only themselves to blame, the stupidity of voting for Trump and Republicans.

[Vogon_Glory]

4. The burned hand teaches best

Those Iowa voters awakening to the fact that they chose to elect people who are screwing them over got taught not by reason, not by appeals to fairness, not to appeals to what the US ought to stand for, but by pain: the pain they refused to forsee.

Sadly, burned hands seem to teach better than good times and appeals to the common good. I hope Iowa voters take this lesson to heart and don’t forget what they’re about to learn the hard way. Otherwise they’ll see the politicians who did unto them slink back into office in 2028 and beyond.

[The Blue Flower]

10. Vogon poetry

Haven't heard it for too long. Thanks!

[littlemissmartypants]

13. Vogon Poem Generator

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/vogonpoetry/lettergen.shtml

[The Blue Flower]

31. The URL is not live anymore

I'm disappointed, but thanks.

[littlemissmartypants]

34. I'm sorry. ❤️

[JustAnotherGen]

7. Absolutely

A self-inflicted wound.

[Tetrachloride]

3. Sugar is not all created equal

[mopinko]

5. it was cuz of all the work we did there for the caucus and beyond.

after winning the caucus, we never left. i drove a suburban at the time and i took groups there 5 times. especially the towns on the border were worked hard. same w wis.
i know a lot has changed, but there r way more decent ppl there than u may think.

[JustAnotherGen]

6. We'll see

We have a lot of stupid people in the American Electorate.

[Dock_Yard]

28. Yes, stupidity is rampant. In Iowa and many other reds, stupidity is fanned by christian nut jobs. And it works :(

[OldBaldy1701E]

8. I have two words to say to anyone who voted for that orange gibbon and are now disillusioned.

Fuckin' Waah!

https://i.postimg.cc/fyppNQhN/temp-Image-Rx1d54.avif

[popsdenver]

25. Every complaint by the MAGAot Voters

should be countered with us saying to them........

YOU F'ing grew it, YOU F'ing chew it............

[OldBaldy1701E]

32. I agree 1000%! (n/t)

[Martin68]

9. It was always clear that tariffs on agricultural products would have a huge impact on key red states. During his first

term, Trump backed off his trade war on China because of the impact on US agriculture sales. This time the lame duck decided to go whole hog, and the results could be interesting.

[ToxMarz]

11. I don't know exactly why Iowans did the right thing twice voting for Obama

I'm from Iowa and can assure you it had nothing to do with him being in the State legislature in neighboring Illinois. No one here knows, or cares who's in government in Illinois (or any other state), unless maybe they're in the national spotlight like a Lindsey Graham or Ted Cruz. But that wasn't what Obama was. I think for a lot who wouldn't normally vote Democrat he was something new and different. More like a Bernie Sanders hail Mary play.

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Obama won the IA caucus in 2008

and spent time going there beforehand. He still offered a contrast to what had eventually become a denigration of "the coastal elites" and was running out of a MW state (which is why I had always wondered why Hillary hadn't played up having been born in IL).

I know the many times that I would go out to Chicago to meet with my direct reports, there was this affinity between eastern IA and Chicago as well as southern WI and Chicago. A number of the employees at that office had been from and/or had lived in both of those states.

[ToxMarz]

19. Yes, eastern Iowa makes sense

They would be more in tune with Chicago/Illinois goings on. I'm from far western Iowa, no interest what so ever there. But went to U of Iowa in eastern Iowa, completely different. One third of the students at U of Iowa are from Chicago/Illinois.

[Zambero]

26. And Bill C. twice, and even Dukasis in 1988

Nationwide, Dukasis got his clock cleaned that year by GHWB, losing the popular vote by an 8-point margin. So perhaps there's a voting demograpic(s) out there in Iowa that is ready and willing to return to a former state (not much pun intended) of sanity!

[fujiyamasan]

29. Al gore won it too

Barely. It flipped back to bush in 2004, but it was also very close. Obama won it by comfortable margins both times, by around 9 and 5 points.

[Scrivener7]

12. Corn and soybean country have really been screwed by this admininistration. Hope they realize it.

Sounds like some are.

[paleotn]

16. And not once, but twice.

What's the old saying? Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice shame on me.

I agree. Lets hope they're beginning to get it. Brazilian soybean farmers sure got it at Iowa's expense. Gee, thanks, Donnie!

[paleotn]

15. Wasn't that long ago Iowa was a swing state.

Prairie Populism was strong there, like Minnesota, Wisconsin and even the Dakotas. For that brand of populism, think Tom Harkin, former Iowa senator. The roots go back to William Jennings Bryan and the La Follette's in Wisconsin. Progressive populists. Maybe not quite the progressives we would necessarily recognize. The word has shifted meaning a bit in recent years, but there is a great deal of overlap with the modern usage.

Of course, it was killed by Reagan, Fux News and Repuke-religion lies. Maybe it's reemerging. Just maybe the plow heads have finally figured out coastal Repukes don't give a shit about them, no matter what their jackass pastors say on Sunday mornings.

Interesting article from the way back machine, 2013. Ironically, "Pig Nuts" Ernst now holds Tom Harkin's old seat. An absolute travesty. Back then, even Grassley claimed to be a populist. But no. Turns out he's the usual Repuke, opportunist bastard who needs to go take the long dirt nap.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/06/03/prairie-populists-fading-harkin-midwest/2377883/

[FakeNoose]

17. They would have known about the GOP's & Chump's toxic policies long ago

... if they'd stop watching Faux Noise 24/7/365.

[karin_sj]

18. I'll always wonder about those Ann Seltzer polls...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/17/iowa-pollster-j-ann-selzer-quits

[cstanleytech]

20. I've never understood why the common person doesn't realize that Democratic party is the party of the people.

Not the rich people, like the ones running the Republicans at the top are but the Democratic party only wants to help the everyday, average person..
Even the people that completely oppose any gun laws should realize that they don't need to join the Republicans because that's what the Courts are for, to protect our rights under the Constitution by tossing out any laws that the Courts deem Unconstitutional.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. Because the first thing the media will do

is cherry-pick elected officials and immediately point out the "wealthy" Democrats, after which they proceed to denigrate the whole party as "hypocrites".

So when Bernie says "millionaires and billionaires" and you look him up, he is near a millionaire himself. Pelosi is the 4th wealthiest followed by Mark Warner as 5th.

Alternately, AOC and Jasmine Crockett are near the bottom (for members of Congress).

[Dan]

22. Be honest "Raw Story"

The people of the GOP would rather eat shit and die than vote for a Democratic candidate.

[Peacetrain]

23. NEVER GIVE UP ON IOWA!!!

[popsdenver]

24. Sadly

becoming a Purple Swing State is not near enough, nor is a Republican Politician becoming an "Independent" enough..............

I think that after what we witnessed in the 2024 states this past election, everyone should have realized that the Swing State Voting is the easiest group that can be targeted for election tampering.............

[Old Crank]

27. If you wondered why HFCS is used here are some numbers.

Bulk high-fructose corn syrup cost about $0.35 per pound for 2025, only rising from $0.27 in 2015, and remaining fairly close to this price in the past few years, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In comparison, the price of refined white sugar is $1.01, which is up substantially from $0.61 in 2015.

It is only about 1/3 the cost of cane sugar.

The US also imposes a tariff on cane sugar in 2 tiers. Up to 35 cents per kilogram (2.2 lbs)

Trump is also stepping in to prop up sugar growers with a partial price support system along with other import duties.

https://qz.com/sugar-industry-imports-tariffs-trump-usda

[LS0999]

30. I believe it when I see it

I've heard this hype about Texas and Florida turning blue for a while and they just turned redder.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

33. Iowa is predominantly RURAL..

The bigger cities are Des Moines, the Quad Cities, but mostly farms and smaller towns that will not be well served by Ernst and Grassley. No wonder they feel betrayed and Democrats hopeful.

[artemisia1]

35. You ain't seen nothing yet. Wait until we can't fix generators or make critical electronic devices work because China

is not selling rare earths and other materials to us because of Trump's Trade War. Then they will be howling.