Iowa Dem scrubbed anti-Trump tweets from X account to appear more moderate, Republicans charge
A Democrat running in a competitive Iowa district scrubbed his X account of dozens of anti-Trump and pro-Biden posts prior to winning the congressional primary earlier this month, according to archival website information found by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
Combat veteran and former USDA official Lanon Baccam won Iowa's Third Congressional District Democratic nomination on June 4 in a landslide over rival Melissa Vine. He now faces Republican Zach Nunn in November. A veteran of Democratic political campaigns, Baccam previously served as President Biden's Iowa deputy state director in addition to earlier work on the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign and for Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and other Democratic campaigns and causes.
But in what the NRCC says is a move to appear more moderate, Baccam scrubbed his X account of numerous partisan posts which remain accessible online through the archival site Wayback Machine.
"It's clear Lanon Baccam is desperately trying to run from his past as a paid political activist, hide his extreme stances and lie to the voters of Iowa," National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokesperson Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital about the scrubbed posts. "Voters deserve to know the real Lanon Baccam outside his phony campaign ads and tampered-with social media."
"We're within my heavy-whipping-cream's expiration days to the election," one scrubbed post read. "Make a plan to vote now and you can toss out Trump when I toss this in the trash."
Another post read, "Joe Biden will be a commander in chief who understands and supports our veterans, service members, and military families when confronted with the hardest situations. A little empathy goes a long way, especially when none exists currently with the President."
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As of June 13, Baccam's account has no mention of former President Trump or President Biden, appearing to distance the candidate online from both the Republican and Democratic nominee for president in the General Election.
When reached for comment, Baccam offered the following statement: "From helping veterans transition to careers in agriculture, to implementing critical investments in our communities and expanding access to rural broadband, I’m proud of the work we accomplished at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As a rural Iowa native, combat veteran, and public servant, I’ve dedicated my life to helping working families get ahead and strengthening our communities. That’s why I’m running for Congress and it’s exactly what I’ll continue to do if elected."
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Nunn flipped Iowa's 3rd Congressional District from blue to red in 2022. Democrats are keen to take the seat back before Nunn's power of incumbency increases with multiple terms.