The backhanded and confrontational atmosphere that has defined the 2016 presidential race seems to have bled down to a local race here in Iowa.

On March 17, state Sen. Rick Bertrand announced that he would challenge current incumbent Rep. Steve King for the GOP nomination. Among a slew of accusations regarding the involvement of prominent GOP operative Nick Ryan and mega-donor Bruce Rastetter, King said he expects the race to be “very nasty.” But do Iowa voters really need another divisive Republican rivalry?

While this sort of combative politics is nothing new, the attacks from Republican to Republican has left the idea of a unified GOP in shambles. From Twitter fights between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz to this new expectation of a “very nasty” local race, the divide between Republicans on the basis of mere personality seems to be counterproductive. Instead of opening a functional dialogue about what policies are best for the constituents, we are left with a reality-TV version of politics.

The premature nature of King’s statements seems to exemplify this problem, at least here in Iowa. By attacking his fellow conservative on the basis of his financial donors, King has set the tone for an unnecessary divisive campaign. When the ridiculousness of the current presidential race is taken into consideration, U.S. politics begin to look more like a high school lunchroom.

The U.S. political system seems to be ripe with personal attacks and bitter political rivalries. While one cannot expect every politician to get along — and, in a way, that is the advantage of a representative democracy — the unhelpful nature of finger pointing and name calling brings nothing productive to the conversation. While big names such as Trump and Cruz conduct their absurd bantering at a level seemingly distant to Iowans, the impending political battle between King and Bertrand is not.

This seems to make the increasingly tense situation between the two all that more unacceptable. At a local level, Iowans should expect their representatives to accurately and productively discuss the issues at hand, not waste time, energy and funding in political cat fights.

The seemingly disingenuous nature of King’s attacks — Nick Ryan said King has requested funds from his office many times — portrays the backhanded nature of politics in the United States.

While it is perfectly acceptable for King to raise questions about the nature of his opponent’s finances, framing this essential race as “very nasty” before it even begins does nothing to help voters.