Cutting the EPA is one of several positions Ernst staked out prior to the primary. Ernst, Braley clash over EPA

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Republican Joni Ernst defended her call to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency during an Iowa Senate race debate here Saturday night, saying states should lead the way on ending pollution.

She also said she would not vote to end a program that allows young undocumented immigrants to remain in the country, and expressed openness to unspecified campaign finance reforms.


Getting rid of the EPA is one of several positions Ernst staked out prior to the Republican primary in this critical and extremely tight Senate race. Facing a slew of attack ads by her Democratic opponent, Bruce Braley, Ernst is now trying to reassure general election voters that her stances are reasonable.

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“I do believe our states know best how to protect their natural resources,” the state senator said. “I believe this can be done at the state level, rather than at a national level with the federal EPA.”

The hourlong debate, sponsored by the local NBC affiliate and the Quad-City Times, was held before a live audience of about 600 on the campus of St. Ambrose University.

There was scant mention in the debate of social issues such as abortion and contraception, and many of the exchanges, including on entitlements and the minimum wage, were nearly identical to the candidates’ first debate two weeks ago. But there was fresh back-and-forth on outside money, guns, immigration and Obamacare.

The Des Moines Register published a fresh poll just before the face-off showing a tied race, with Ernst at 47 percent and Braley at 46 percent — a 5-point move in the Democrat’s direction since last month. The closeness underscores that this may be the truest toss-up Senate race in the country.

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Braley, a four-term congressman, saw an opening to attack on environmental issues. “Sound bites have consequences,” he said several times. “You’re saying you don’t want anyone making sure the air we breathe is clean and the water we drink is pure.”

Ernst said states could work together to protect the environment, and that “there are other regulatory agencies that can step in” at the federal level if the EPA is killed.

“The reason a Republican president created the EPA is because states couldn’t prevent big polluters from destroying our planet,” Braley shot back. “When President [Richard] Nixon created it, there were rivers on fire.”

When Braley said “sound bites have consequences,” his mantra of the night, Ernst fired back by recalling that Braley mocked Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley as a farmer without a law degree during a closed-door fundraiser with trial lawyers that was caught on camera. Her supporters in the crowd cheered.

On immigration, Ernst said she would not vote to repeal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA. The program essentially prevents the deportation of many people who were brought to the U.S. illegally when they were children. Ernst said that while she opposes amnesty, she recognizes the children covered by the program were not brought to the U.S. of their own accord.

( POLITICO’s 2014 race ratings)

“We are a country of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws,” she said.

Ernst repeatedly linked Braley with President Barack Obama, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and their “failed record in D.C.” Braley called Ernst an extremist on a host of issues and said she’s in the pocket of the conservative billionaire Koch brothers.

Braley defended himself from attack ads being run by the National Rifle Association by noting that he’s never met former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a major gun-control advocate being vilified by the NRA. Republicans responded by pointing out that they both spoke at the same No Labels conference in 2010.

Ernst defended the support she’s receiving from David and Charles Koch by saying that she has never signed any pledge and has promised the brothers nothing. Braley responded by noting that she’s a signed a no-new-taxes pledge.

“You attended two secret Koch brother donor meetings in California,” he said. “You called them wonderful at that meeting … The Kochs have seven different organizations attacking me right now.”

To a remarkable degree, ads by outside groups such as ones backed by the Kochs shaped the nature of the questions from both local voters and the local reporters moderating the debate.

When Braley called for banning dark political money, Ernst responded that she and her allies are getting outspent by Braley, environmentalist Tom Steyer’s super PAC and the Harry Reid-backed Senate Majority PAC.

But she also expressed openness to unspecified changes in campaign finance laws.

“Yes, and there are probably reforms that could be made, but again I am being outspent by these very organizations,” she said. “Here he is calling for reform, and yet we’re being tremendously outspent.”

Both candidates took a hard line on the fight against the Islamic State militant group, but Ernst disagreed with Braley that Congress should be called back into session for more briefings and votes on the matter.

Ernst acknowledged that she was reluctant about arming Syrian rebels a year ago, something she now supports, but also criticized Braley for not responding more forcefully earlier this year when the Iraqi city of Mosul fell to the militants.

“I was not as confident a year ago … but we have had a year to carefully vet those moderate rebels,” she said. “Is there 100 percent assurance? No, there is not.”

Braley said he remains “very concerned about the vetting process” for giving weapons to rebels in Syria.

“That’s why I think we should go back into session and get an updated classified briefing on what’s happened since we made that vote,” he said.

The pair also clashed on guns. Braley advocated for background checks. He said the Second Amendment requires a balancing act between giving people gun rights and protecting everyone else.

“Sen. Ernst doesn’t think you should even need to go through a permit process to carry a concealed weapon and should be able to carry guns in churches and bars,” he said.

Ernst said she is horrified by gun violence but is focused on improving the mental health care system.

“We need to enforce the gun control laws that we have on the books right now,” she said.

On Obamacare, a voter sent a question in to Ernst asking if he would lose his coverage if she and her fellow Republicans successfully repealed the health care law.

“Every Iowan has a right to affordable health care,” she said, going on to add that “Obamacare is not the answer.”

Braley talked about how bad things were before the law went into effect.

“I agree” with Ernst on every Iowan having the right to health care, “and yet 47 million Americans didn’t have health insurance coverage before the Affordable Care Act was passed,” he said.