At Iowa's first Senate debate, Joni Ernst confronted reports that her opponent threatened to sue his neighbor over chickens that wandered onto her lawn.
Braley, who received a law degree from the University of Iowa, admitted that he issued a formal complaint against his neighbor, but continues to deny that he threatened a lawsuit.
According to The Washington Post, Braley emailed a lawyer for his neighborhood board of directors demanding action against the neighbor to “avoid a litigious situation.”
Joni Ernst challenged Bruce Braley on how he could work across the aisle if he was willing to go after his neighbor because of her therapeutic chickens.
DES MOINES, Iowa—The next-door neighbor who Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) threatened with legal action over four pet chickens that occasionally wandered into his lawn said she has made up her mind to back the GOP Senate candidate this fall – a break from decades of pulling the lever for Democrats.
“I do believe I'm going to vote for Joni Ernst. And like I said, I haven't voted for a Republican since the Reagan years,” Pauline Hampton, Braley's neighbor, told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview.
Braley Even Filed A Formal Complaint Against His Neighbor Over Their Chickens Wandering Onto His Property
Braley Filed A Formal Complaint With The Homeowners’ Associations Of The Vacation Home In Order To Keep Their Neighbors’ Chickens Off Their Property. “The battle for control of the U.S. Senate could come down to a dispute between two neighbors in this heartland hamlet over four plump, wander-prone hens. This spring, Pauline Hampton’s chickens roamed onto Bruce and Carolyn Braley’s vacation property on tranquil Holiday Lake. Hampton said she did not know this until she walked over one day to offer Carolyn a dozen fresh eggs. To which she said her neighbor replied, ‘We aren’t going to accept your eggs – and we have filed a formal complaint against you.’ Carolyn took her complaint to their neighborhood homeowners’ association board meeting in May. Her husband, Bruce, then called the association’s lawyer, Thomas Lacina, to say that he believed ‘chickens are not pets and should not be permitted at Holiday Lake,’ and that he wanted to ‘avoid a litigious situation,’ according to an e-mail Lacina wrote.” (Phillip Rucker, “In Iowa, A Dispute Over Neighbor’s Chickens Threatens Braley’s Senate Bid,” The Washington Post , 8/7/14)
Braley’s Attorney Contacted The Homeowners Association And Even Raised The Prospect Of A “Litigious Situation.” “An attorney for Bruce Braley wrote an email to the board in May, which a Republican media outlet obtained and printed, saying the congressman wants to avoid a ‘litigious situation,’ but that the chickens ‘should not be permitted.’ CNN reached out to Braley’s attorney to confirm the authenticity of the email, but he declined to speak on the matter.” (Adam P. Levy, “Iowa Chickens Vs. Senate Candidate’s Yard,” CNN, 9/17/14)
Pauline Hampton, Braley’s Neighbor: The Braley’s “Are Not Neighborly” And “In Iowa, We Are Very Well Known For Being Friendly, And If One Has A Problem With Another, We Always Talk To Them Face-To-Face.” “Even if Braley didn’t threaten a suit, some around Holiday Lake bristled at his tactics. ‘They are not neighborly,’ said Hampton, a mental health therapist who uses the hens as therapy animals. ‘In Iowa, we are very well known for being friendly, and if one has a problem with another, we always talk to them face-to-face. This kind of floored me.’” (Phillip Rucker, “In Iowa, A Dispute Over Neighbor’s Chickens Threatens Braley’s Senate Bid,” The Washington Post , 8/7/14)
William Nagel, Another Neighbor Of Braley’s: “Neighbors Are Neighbors, And If You’ve Got A Problem With Your Neighbor, You Talk It Out.” “Another neighbor, William Nagel, who sits on the homeowners association board, said, ‘Buddy, we’re here in Iowa. We talk like men here and we act like men. Usually, a man’s word is like gold. A handshake is a contract. Neighbors are neighbors, and if you’ve got a problem with your neighbor, you talk it out.’” (Phillip Rucker, “In Iowa, A Dispute Over Neighbor’s Chickens Threatens Braley’s Senate Bid,”The Washington Post , 8/7/14)
The battleground states of the US midterm elections
Iowa A row with a neighbour over her chickens threatened to damage Democratic congressman Bruce Braley’s bid to beat state senator Joni Ernst for the seat being vacated by retiring five-term Democrat Tom Harkin. Prospect: too close to call
Democrats entered were favored to win Iowa's Senate race, but Democrat Bruce Braley's stumbles and Republican Joni Ernst's charm have made it a toss up.
[i]t wasn’t just supporters there to greet him [at the Des Moines Register soapbox Thurs.]. There was also a man dressed as a rooster, sporting a sign that said “Bruce Braley cares about CHICKENS more than VETERANS”—a reference to a dispute between Braley and a neighbor over whether she should be allowed to keep “therapeutic” pet chickens.
Joni Ernst works it at the Iowa State Fair ahead of her Tossup Senate race against Bruce Braley... Braley has made it easy for Republicans to portray him as out of touch. First, he made derogatory comments about [Sen. Chuck] Grassley being a farmer, then his neighbor said the congressman threatened to lodge a formal complaint over her chickens coming onto his vacation property.
Phil Rucker, the great Washington Post correspondent, traveled to Iowa to explain exactly what happened. Republicans are generally thrilled that the story is out there—it's baffling that Braley pursued this during an election year, and after enduring his gaffe about the unsuitability of a "farmer from Iowa who never went to law school" becoming head of Judiciary.
