Jodi Ernst: "I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm."

“I Grew Up Castrating Hogs on an Iowa Farm”

“I Grew Up Castrating Hogs on an Iowa Farm”

Weigel
Reporting on Politics and Policy.
March 25 2014 1:52 PM

“I Grew Up Castrating Hogs on an Iowa Farm”

Iowa state Sen. Jodi Ernst is sort of the establishment choice in Iowa's Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Mitt Romney's endorsed her. She's cleaned up on endorsements from fellow state legislators. She attended a seminar put on by the Koch network and has subsequently prospered in the funds race. But this is how she's introducing herself to voters.

"I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm, so ... I'll know how to cut pork" makes almost no sense, but in a stretch you could relate to Ernst's opposition to the ethanol mandate. I'm overthinking it—the ad never mentions that Ernst, currently, serves in elective office. It's folksiness on steroids.

David Weigel is a reporter for the Washington Post.