DES MOINES, Iowa — Rep. Steve King is fighting for his political life — but not because he's compared immigrants crossing the border illegally to cattle. His Republican opponents in next week's primary aren't raking him over the coals for making light of rape and incest. His chief rival's ads don't mention the time he wondered when the term “white supremacist” became offensive.
That sets up the June 2 primary, a five-way fight in a GOP-heavy district, as a test of whether the establishment can effectively police the party and distance itself from racist and far-right voices who critics say have been amplified in recent years. Still, Sweeney hosted two fundraisers at her home for King in 2012, when he faced what was expected to be a competitive challenge from former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack, a Democrat. King won decisively.In 2006, King proposed electrifying the U.S.-Mexico border fencing to curb illegal border crossings, saying, “We do that with livestock all the time.”
But it hasn't muted King. He's continued to defend his hard-right abortion stance with provocative comments. Asked in August about his opposition to abortion in cases of rape and incest, he wondered whether there would be “any population of the world left” if not for births stemming from rape and incest.
“You move away from the argument that he’s an embarrassment and into an argument of effectiveness — when you get into that zone, people say this matters," said Iowa Republican strategist John Stineman, who's unaffiliated with any campaign in the race.
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