The Des Moines Register has endorsed Charles Grassley for United States Senate because, it explains, he has used his “formidable presence in the Senate” to do “much for Iowa.”  The Register claims Grassley’s accomplishments include “challeng[ing] hidebound rules that lead to Gridlock,” pushing “to get the federal courts to allow cameras in courtrooms,” and “work[ing] with the Iowa delegation on economic development.”  But the Senate is as gridlocked as ever, cameras are still not allowed in federal courts, and Iowa is shedding jobs.  After five terms in the Senate, Grassley’s only real accomplishment is his incumbency.

Roxanne Conlin has never held elected office, but she has accomplished far more for this state than Grassley.  Conlin argued and won the groundbreaking Iowa Supreme Court case Parr v. Cedar Rapids, which established the right to maternity leave for Iowa workers.  She was the most influential figure in Iowa’s women rights movement during the 1960s and 1970s, establishing Iowa women as a powerful political lobby.  As a trial lawyer, Conlin has successfully fought large corporations that were engaging in anti-competitive, anti-consumer practices in the state.   It is inexplicable that the Register overlooked these accomplishments and endorsed a Senator with a 30-year history of ineffectiveness.