An early peek at 8 Iowa Democrats lining up to run for governor

William Petroski | The Des Moines Register

Show Caption Hide Caption Is 2018 Iowa Democrats' last shot? Democrats say the 2018 Iowa Governor race may be last chance to win back Iowa voters.

BOONE, Ia. — Boone County Democrats held a Picnic for the People at McHose Park here Saturday as an alternative to a big Republican Party event just a few miles away for U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and other GOP dignitaries.

About 200 Democrats chowed down on pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw and cupcakes. But their main course was speeches with stinging criticism of newly inaugurated Gov. Kim Reynolds and her predecessor, former Gov. Terry Branstad. They heard from eight hopefuls for Iowa's 2018 governor's race who are either official candidates or still exploring a campaign.

All the Democrats warned that the Reynolds/Branstad administration has offered Iowans failed leadership that hasn't delivered either on promises of economic and job growth or an increase in family incomes.

They contended Republicans have turned the state over to corporate interests that are not focused on helping Iowa workers or their families. They also said rural Iowa is being hurt by GOP policies that are offering few job opportunities for young Iowans in small towns while continuing to promote the growth of larger farms that diminish the ability for Iowans to have a future in farming.

Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, issued a statement Saturday defending Reynolds and acting Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg.

"Gov. Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Gregg are working hard to build a better Iowa by creating a competitive business environment, educating our children and training Iowans for the jobs of the future," Kaufmann said. "The difference couldn't be more clear: more than 1,300 Republicans gathered for the second consecutive day celebrating the progress we've made and touting the things we seek to accomplish, while Democrats are holding a meeting across town in a telephone booth on Elm Street, stuck in the past."

Here are remarks from the eight hopefuls for governor who spoke:

John Norris

Norris is a veteran party operative and former top aide to ex-Gov. Tom Vilsack with extensive experience in state and federal government. He's a native of Red Oak in southwest Iowa who joked that while testing the waters in the race for governor, he found the water high in nitrates and bacteria and sediment — a poke at the state's water quality issues.

More seriously, Norris asked, "I wanted to ask how that corporate agriculture is working out for everybody other than that top 1 percent?"

He promised to rebuild rural lowa by diversifying agriculture and providing more opportunities for alternative agriculture.

Norris charged that Republicans are intent on driving down the wages of Iowans, adding that Iowa now has the lowest minimum wage in the nation at $7.25 an hour.

"They want to sell our workers out to the lowest bidders, and that is just wrong," he said.

Nate Boulton

Boulton serves in the Iowa Senate, representing Des Moines' east side and Pleasant Hill. He grew up in Columbus Junction in southeast Iowa and is a private practice lawyer who specializes in employment issues.

Boulton criticized the Branstad and Reynolds administrations, pointing out how he fought Republicans' efforts to reduce workers' compensation rights for injured workers, limit collective bargaining for public employees, defund Planned Parenthood and other measures. He added that he wants to restore Iowa as a world leader in education and build a stronger Iowa economy — not with tax breaks, but with a skilled workforce.

“Iowa deserves better, and we are in a fight in 2018 for the soul of our state. Make no mistake about it. We are going to win that fight. We are going to stand up against that darkness," Boulton said.

Andy McGuire

McGuire is a doctor and health care management executive from Des Moines who was chair of the Iowa Democratic Party in 2015 and 2016. She talked about how she experienced a sense of caring for people, both growing up in a large family in Waterloo and again as a health care professional.

“I am not seeing as much of that community as we had in the past, and I think we need to bring it back," McGuire said.

She added that she's concerned about low-income Iowans on Medicaid, and that they aren't being given proper care in a new management system that isn't saving money. She's also unhappy that Iowa gets low marks nationally for mental health care.

On her first day as governor, McGuire vowed she would "put Planned Parenthood's funding right back where it should be," a reference to the Legislature's move to defund the nonprofit organization because it provides abortions. She also pledged to create jobs, clean up Iowa's water and make education a priority.

Todd Prichard

Prichard is a three-term Iowa House member from Charles City, a former county prosecutor and an Army veteran who was a company commander in Iraq. He said the Republican "regime" is taking Iowa in the wrong direction and is leaving some Iowans behind.

"We have seen an agenda that is not about people, but about big corporations and their profits," Prichard said.

He's promoting a plan to provide universal access to Iowa's community colleges, saying the state should be able to provide more money for college if it can give millions of dollars in financial incentives for Facebook's expansion in Altoona and Kum & Go's new headquarters in downtown Des Moines.

Prichard also promised to provide more support for K-12 education and to provide leadership on health care. In addition, he promised that on his first day as governor he would issue an executive order to restore collective bargaining rights to all of Iowa's public employees.

"Gov. Reynolds had a chance to do that. She had a chance to show that she was different from Gov. Branstad, and she didn't do that," Prichard said.

Cathy Glasson

Glasson is a registered nurse from Coralville and president of Local 199 Service Employees International Union. She outlined four issues she believes will dramatically improve the lives of Iowans.

These include: Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, making it easier for workers to join a union where they are employed, providing universal health care for every Iowan and holding corporate agriculture accountable, making sure they pay their fair share when they pollute Iowa's water.

While Reynolds is touting Iowa as having a great economy with great-paying jobs, the reality is that many Iowans are struggling to make ends meet at low-paying jobs, Glasson said. In addition, too many Iowans have difficulty paying child care expenses because of jobs that don't pay enough, she said.

"We need a progressive governor. Now is not the time to be complacent," Glasson said.

Mike Matson

Matson is a Davenport alderman, a teacher and a retired U.S. Army ranger. He explained how he has worked to help improve school attendance in Davenport's schools and to expand access to mental health care in his community.

"Being a governor is about showing leadership," Matson said.

As the state's chief executive, Matson said that in dealings with Republican legislative leaders he would sit down and try to resolve issues.

"I am going to tell them 'You are not going to hurt folks,' because I have the backbone to tell them no," he remarked.

Matson also promised to work to restore Iowa's standing in education, describing as "ridiculous" a 1.1 percent increase in education spending authorized by the Iowa Legislature for the upcoming school year.

John Neiderbach

Neiderbach is a lawyer, a former Des Moines School Board member and an ex-state legislative analyst who unsuccessfully ran for state auditor in 2014. He said he offers a different approach to campaigning without fancy video advertising. Instead, he said he plans to offer a straightforward discussion of issues.

He said it doesn't make sense to try to curb abortions by reducing family planning money for Planned Parenthood. He also said he doesn't agree with allowing Iowa's waters to become filthy by not regulating livestock confinements.

“We need to stop the corrupt system that is financing politics in Iowa," Neiderbach remarked.

He added he would limit individual campaign contributions to $500. On other matters, he favors legalization of marijuana and wants to improve mental health programs.

Brent Roske

Roske is a filmmaker who has produced journalistic and fictional works about Iowa politics. Although he is running as an independent for governor, Boone County Democrats said they agreed to let his voice be heard at their picnic.

Roske described himself as a progressive, adding he agreed with many of the remarks made by Democratic speakers. As governor, he said he wouldn't sign any bills until the Legislature first put a bill on his desk addressing water quality issues. He added that single-payer health care is inevitable and he will support it.

Roske lamented the slow growth of Iowa's population, noting the state's congressional delegation has shrunk because other states' populations are growing faster. Iowa needs to become a magnet for people, and one way to do this would be to legalize recreational and medical marijuana, he said.

"I think it is similar to craft beer and riding motorcycles," Roske said of recreational marijuana. "It is an expression of American freedom."

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Some other Democrats either running or considering campaigns for governor didn't attend Saturday's event in Boone. They included Fred Hubbell, a retired Des Moines business executive and philanthropist, and Richard Leopold, Polk County conservation director and former head of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

On the Republican side, Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett is considering a run for the GOP nomination for governor. Reynolds is widely expected to seek the governor's office in 2018, but she hasn't made it official yet.