It was already looking to be an ugly election cycle for Democrats.
But now November is looking even worse.
And that’s because one Democrat candidate is finished after getting slapped with this criminal charge.
Iowa is a state that slipped away from Democrats.
Barack Obama won Iowa twice, but in 2016 and 2020, Donald Trump carried the state in blowouts, as farmers and working-class rural Americans swung decisively to the GOP.
Republicans were already favored to win the Gubernatorial and Senate elections in Iowa this November.
That led Democrats to hope they could make gains in the State House.
Now that effort is even more uphill.
That’s because police arrested Iowa House District 28 candidate Sonya Heitshusen on reckless use of a firearm after an incident where she allegedly fired a gun through a sliding glass door at home on June 27.
The police report reads, “as she was placing the handgun onto the kitchen table, she pulled the trigger, discharging it.”
The incident took place at 11PM at night, and there was allegedly alcohol involved, which called back to Heitshusen pleading guilty to drunk driving in 2014.
Heitshusen denied all criminal charges in a statement to the Des Moines Register, saying she kept a handgun in her home for self defense after receiving threatening messages.
“I’ve received ongoing threatening messages on social media,” Heitshusen wrote in a statement. “Knowing my partner was leaving town for an extended period of time, I checked one of the firearms, and while checking it, an accidental discharge of the firearm occurred.”
Heitshusen added that no one was hurt and she looked forward to resolving the incident.
“No one was hurt and no property was damaged other than my own,” Heitshusen’s statement added. “I take full responsibility for the accident and we reported it to the police. I look forward to this matter being resolved quickly.”
Heitshusen’s attorney Grant Woodard added that they believed the charges were baseless.
“We believe that this is utterly baseless,” Woodard stated. “No crime was committed and Ms. Heitshusen will be exonerated, ultimately.”
Heitshusen is running against former Republican Congressman David Young.
But with four months until the General Election, this arrest report will likely put this race out of reach for Democrats.
Renewed Right will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.