Theresa Greenfield
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Theresa Greenfield (born October 20, 1963) is an American businesswoman, government official, and former political candidate. She was the Democratic nominee for the
2020 United States Senate election in Iowa The 2020 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Iowa, State of Iowa, concurrently with the 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 U.S. preside ...
, losing to incumbent Republican
Joni Ernst Joni Kay Ernst (née Culver; born July 1, 1970) is an American politician and retired military officer serving since 2015 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Iowa. A member of the ...
. On November 18, 2021, Greenfield was appointed
USDA Rural Development USDA Rural Development (RD) is a mission area within the United States Department of Agriculture which runs programs intended to improve the economy and quality of life in rural parts of the United States. Rural Development has a loan portfolio o ...
director for
Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
.


Early life and education

Greenfield was born and raised in
Bricelyn, Minnesota Bricelyn is a city in Faribault County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 365 at the 2010 census. History The town developed as a result of the railroad passing through the area. In 1899, town lots were auctioned. The city was name ...
, a small city near the Iowa–Minnesota border. She was one of five children. Her parents raised hogs and grew crops on a small
farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
, and her father was also a crop dusting pilot. She helped with farm jobs such as driving tractors and grain trucks, bailing hay, and feeding hogs; and by the age of 16, assisted in negotiating contract terms and demarcating fields for the family crop-dusting business. Greenfield took courses at
Iowa Lakes Community College Iowa Lakes Community College is a public community college based in Estherville, Iowa, U.S., with campuses also located in Algona, Emmetsburg, Spencer and Spirit Lake. It serves Iowa Community College District III, which encompasses an area r ...
and
Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...
before graduating from
Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 145,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is t ...
in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in design and human development.


Business career

After graduating from Minnesota State, Greenfield worked as an urban planner and later began working in real estate development. In 2005, Greenfield took a position at the home building company Rottlund Homes in
Roseville, Minnesota Roseville is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. It is one of two Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Twin Cities suburbs that are bordered directly by Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul and Minneapolis (Lauderdale, M ...
, where she was named president of the Iowa division in 2007. In 2012, she became president of the Des Moines commercial real estate firm Colby Interests, based in Windsor Heights, Iowa. She is a member of the board of the American Institute of Certified Planners, Commercial Real Estate Women of Iowa, and the Windsor Heights Chamber of Commerce.


Political campaigns


2018 U.S. House election

In July 2017, Greenfield announced her candidacy for the 2018 Democratic nomination in
Iowa's 3rd congressional district Iowa's 3rd congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its southwestern quadrant, which roughly consists of an area stretching from Des Moines, Iowa, Des ...
. As a female Democratic candidate in 2018, she was featured on the cover of ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' along with other female candidates, who were collectively labeled "The Avengers". She withdrew from the race in March 2018 after learning her campaign manager had falsified some of the 1,790 required signatures to qualify her for the ballot. Her campaign tried to collect a new set of signatures in the 24 hours before the filing deadline, but was only able to acquire 1,592 valid signatures.


2020 U.S. Senate election

On June 3, 2019, Greenfield declared her candidacy for the Senate seat held by first-term senator
Joni Ernst Joni Kay Ernst (née Culver; born July 1, 1970) is an American politician and retired military officer serving since 2015 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Iowa. A member of the ...
. On June 2, 2020, she won the Democratic primary with 47.71% of the vote, defeating three other major candidates, including Michael T. Franken, a retired U.S. Navy admiral and former aide to U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy. Polls conducted after the primary showed a close contest between Greenfield and Ernst. In early September, political handicappers ''
The Cook Political Report Amy Elizabeth Walter (born October 19, 1969)"Profile: Amy Walter"
Sabato's Crystal Ball Larry Joseph Sabato (; born August 7, 1952) is an American political scientist and political analyst. He is the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, where he is also the founder and director of the Center f ...
'' rated the race as a toss-up. Major media described the race as one of the most likely to decide control of the Senate after the 2020 election. Through June 30, 2020, Greenfield had raised $11.5 million, compared to $14.6 million for Ernst. In the third fundraising quarter, Greenfield's campaign raised $28.7 million, more than any Senate candidate in Iowa history. As of October 2020, the race was expected to be the most expensive in the state's history, and the second most expensive Senate race in the United States, after the 2020 United States Senate election in North Carolina. Greenfield received endorsements from former president
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
, Minnesota Senator
Amy Klobuchar Amy Jean Klobuchar ( ; born May 25, 1960) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Minnesota, a seat she has held since 2007. A member o ...
, Massachusetts Senator
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
, Representative
Abby Finkenauer Abby Lea Finkenauer (born December 27, 1988) is an American politician who served as the United States Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues within the U.S. Department of State from 2022 to 2025. Finkenauer previously served as the U.S. represe ...
, Representative
Dave Loebsack David Wayne Loebsack (; born December 23, 1952) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he also is an ''emeritus'' professor of political science at Cornell Colle ...
, former Iowa first lady and education advocate
Christie Vilsack Ann Christine Bell Vilsack (; born July 9, 1950) is an American literacy advocate and politician. Vilsack is married to former List of governors of Iowa, Governor of Iowa and United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. She served as the ...
, and former lieutenant governor of Iowa Sally Pederson. She was endorsed by organizations including the Iowa AFL-CIO, Iowa IBEW State Conference,
EMILY's List EMILYs List is a left-leaning American political action committee (PAC) that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1985. The group's name is an acronym for "E ...
,
End Citizens United End Citizens United (ECU) is a political action committee in the United States. The organization works to reverse the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 decision in ''Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission'', which deregulated limits on independen ...
, and
Giffords Giffords (stylized "GIFFORDS") is an American advocacy and research organization focused on preventing gun violence. The organization draws its name from one of its co-founders, Gabby Giffords, a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Rep ...
. In the general election on November 3, 2020, she was defeated by incumbent Ernst, winning only 8 of the state's 99 counties and finishing six points behind the incumbent. Greenfield conceded the race in a speech that night.


Department of Agriculture

In 2021, President
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
appointed Greenfield as Iowa director for the
U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production ...
's
Rural Development Rural development is the process of improving the quality of life, quality of life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Often, rural regions have experienced rural povert ...
program. Greenfield works under U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Tom Vilsack Thomas James Vilsack (; born December 13, 1950) is an American politician. He served as the 30th and 32nd United States secretary of agriculture from 2009 to 2017, during the Obama administration, and again from 2021 to 2025 during the Biden admi ...
, a former
Governor of Iowa A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
.


Political positions


Healthcare

Greenfield is in favor of the
Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
and expanding
Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...
. She has supported a public option for health insurance coverage, but does not support Medicare for All. She supports paid sick leave for all workers. She also supports
abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...
. She has called for further federal stimulus to combat the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case was reported on January 20, and United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health and Human Services Secreta ...
, including direct payments to individuals, extending expanded unemployment benefits, and expanded
Paycheck Protection Program The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a $953-billion business loan program established by the United States federal government during the First presidency of Donald Trump, Trump administration in 2020 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and ...
payments for small businesses. She also called for a statewide mask mandate to alleviate the spread of the
COVID-19 virus Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had the provisional name 2019 novel coro ...
.


Social safety nets

She supports
Social Security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...
and other safety net policies, and has referred to her personal experience as part of her reasons for this.


Campaign finance reform

Greenfield supports campaign finance reform and supports the overturning of '' Citizens United v. FEC'', a Supreme Court decision that prohibits the government from restricting
independent expenditure An independent expenditure, in elections in the United States, is a political campaign communication that expressly advocates for the election or defeat of a clearly identified political candidate that is not made in cooperation, consultation or ...
s for political communications by
corporation A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...
s. She proposed a ban on corporate Political Action Committee money, passing lobbying reforms, and overturning the Supreme Court's decision on Citizens United. She supports the Stop Swaps, Protect Local Jobs Act.


Environment

She accepts the
scientific consensus on climate change There is a nearly unanimous scientific consensus that the Earth has been consistently warming since the start of the Industrial Revolution, that the rate of recent warming is largely unprecedented, and that this warming is mainly the result o ...
, linking the climate change to the
August 2020 Midwest derecho On August 10 and 11, 2020, an extremely powerful progressive derecho devastated much of the Midwestern United States, primarily eastern Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. It caused high winds and spawned an outbreak of weak torna ...
which caused flooding in Iowa. She criticized Senator Joni Ernst for taking money from the oil industry and for denying the scientific consensus on climate change.


Personal life

In 1985, Greenfield married Rodney Wirtjes, an electrician, who served as a
journeyman A journeyman is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that field as a fully qualified employee ...
lineworker A lineworker (also called a lineman or powerline worker) constructs and maintains the electric power transmission, electric transmission and electricity distribution, distribution facilities that deliver electrical energy to industrial, commerci ...
and a member of the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is a trade union, labor union that represents approximately 820,000 workers and retirees in the electricity, electrical industry in the United States, Canada, Guam, Panama, Puerto Rico, an ...
. They settled in
Buffalo Center, Iowa Buffalo Center is a city in Winnebago County, Iowa, United States. The population was 857 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Buffalo Center was platted in 1892, and was incorporated as a city later that same year ...
. In 1988, Wirtjes was killed in a work accident. At the time Greenfield was 24 years old, with a one-year-old son, and was pregnant with her second son who was born five months later. Greenfield later married Steve Miller, with whom she had two more children. Their youngest son, Dane, is a member of the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
.


Electoral history


References


External links


Profile at USDA

Campaign website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Greenfield, Theresa 1963 births 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century American women politicians American businesspeople in real estate Businesspeople from Des Moines, Iowa Businesspeople from Minnesota Candidates in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections Candidates in the 2020 United States Senate elections Iowa Democrats Living people Minnesota State University, Mankato alumni People from Faribault County, Minnesota Women in Iowa politics