Jack Hatch brought his roll-out tour to Iowa City last night for some pizza and Q&A. While the bulk of the formal talk focused on issues and contrasts with Republican incumbent Terry Branstad, questioning zoomed in on contrast with Hatch's main primary opponent Tyler Olson.
"I'm 63, my primary opponent is 37," said Hatch, asked directly whether it was time to step aside for a newer generation (Branstad is also in his 60s.)
"The only way to beat Terry Branstad is a person with experience. One good thing about age is wisdom over the years. We have to be one state and we have to learn that experience means something. I can bring experience to this job through my years in the legislature and through my accomplishments."
"The new generation will not only be welcomed," added Hatch, "it will be recruited."
"No one has worked harder for working people than Jack Hatch," fellow Senator Joe Bolkcom said in introduction. Bolkcom cited health care, payday lending, choice, and fighting nuclear power as reasons for his endorsement.
"We have a governor who doesn't lead," said Hatch. "His political machine makes the decisions." He cited health care reform as an example. "He stood in the doorway of every clinic in the state to keep 100,000 Iowans from receiving their right to health care."
A couple dozen Johnson County Democrats were on hand, mostly core activists; the only other elected official spotted was Supervisor Terrence Neuzil. Also spotted was our friend Kevin Hall from The Iowa Republican.
Hatch continues his tour next week, visiting courthouse-size weekly paper and AM radio size towns. One critique of Hatch is the loaded question of whether a Des Moines Democrat can appeal to small town Iowa (though in fairness Olson is from the state's second biggest city).
"Every neighborhood in Des Moines is a small town," he responded.
No comments:
Post a Comment