IA-02: Democrat Rita Hart kicks off her first in-person campaign tour since the pandemic
Forty-seven days out from November's election, the campaign to elect Democrat Rita Hart to Iowa's open 2nd Congressional District seat is hitting the road. Through a series of "backyard talks," the campaign hopes to balance connecting Hart with voters in-person while staying safe amid a global pandemic.
Back in April, Hart told the Press-Citizen that her days were spent, for the most part, in social isolation, cold-calling voters. Since the pandemic started, the campaign has been strictly virtual: making calls, hosting virtual events and texting potential voters. But Hart said she missed connecting with voters in-person.
"Im putting fewer miles on my car. Im at home a lot more than I have been. ... But conversations go on," she said. "There is a lot of uncharted territories here. But that seems the same."
Hart kicks off her first in-person tour since the pandemic began with a stop Saturday in Ottumwa and stops in Bettendorf and Bennett on Sunday. Riley Kilburg, the campaign's newly hired communications director, said they are limiting occupants and requiring face coverings to keep attendants safe. For those who can't make it to Ottumwa, he said, the campaign will stream the event online.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/09/17/election-2020-iowa-state-senate-race-hart-miller-meeks/3481050001/