Democrats from five counties met for a “Dinner with Democrats” event at Willow Creek Golf Course in Le Mars.
St. Rep. Jennifer Konfrst – the Iowa House Minority Leader – says the party got a boost this week from the Kamala Harris/Donald Trump debate.
Konfrst says three issues are driving Democrats in this election campaign.
Konfrst says it’s important for Democrats to compete in each election race in Iowa.
State Senator Herm Quirmbach of Ames – opposing carbon pipelines will also draw voters. He says his chamber hasn’t made much progress on legislation to halt the pipelines.
Quirmbach says Education Savings Accounts are diverting money from public schools.
Quirmbach outlines the issues that will play drive voters in this election.
While Democrats are energized by changes at the top of the party’s ticket this election season, the issues which drive them will vary from legislative to congressional campaigns. Ryan Melton of Nevada is running for a second time for the U.S. House in Iowea District 4.
The Congress may soon pass a budget without an update to the farm bill. Melton says this shows a need for a stronger effort to find more common ground.
Balancing rural and urban interests on the House Ag Committee is becoming more difficult. Melton says that means he has to speak up to hold his political opponent accountable
This is the second time Melton is running against incumbent Randy Feenstra. Melton says he’s better prepared for this race.
State Rep JD Scholten District 1 sees increased interest among fellow Democrats in his district, due to the recent presidential debate.
Education is the big issue in the election, focuing on opposing Education Savings Accounts
Changes in Area Education Agency is also a hot issue to Democrats.
Local Democratic Party candidates also appeared last night. They include Emma Bouza, running in House district 3, Rosanne Plante, running in House District 13, Jess Lopez-Walker, running in House District 2, and JD Scholten, running for re-election in House District 1.
Keynote speaker was Jess Piper of Missouri, a Democrat activist and blogger.
Over 100 party members attended the event, hosted by the Lyon, Osceola, Sioux, Plymouth, and Woodbury County Democrats.
