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U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne Clashes With Challenger David Young On Health Care In 3rd District Debate

U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne debates David Young on Iowa PBS' Iowa Press Third Congressional District Debate
Emily Blobaum
U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne debates David Young on Iowa PBS' Iowa Press Third Congressional District Debate

Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District candidates covered issues ranging from health care to social security to immigration in a debate Monday night over who should represent an area that stretches from the Des Moines metro to the Missouri River in southwest Iowa.

The 3rd District race is a rematch between Rep. Cindy Axne, D-West Des Moines and challenger David Young, R-Van Meter, who previously held the seat for two terms.

Monday night at the Iowa PBS studios, the familiar opponents revisited a debate on health care that also dominated the race two years ago.

Axne said if Young is elected he will vote to strip health care protections from the Affordable Care Act. Young voted in favor of a bill passed by the Republican-controlled House in 2017 as part of an effort to repeal portions of the Obama-era law.

Iowa Press Debates: Third Congressional District

“You voted to take away coverage for people with preexisting conditions. You voted to take away coverage for children who are on their parents’ plans until they’re 26,” Axne said.

Young said protections for people with preexisting conditions should be preserved with or without the ACA in place. He also said health plan subsidies in the current law should go directly to individuals to shop for their own policies instead of going to insurance companies.

“When that money goes straight to the people, they’re empowered with their health care dollars. If you demand price transparency, you’re going to get affordability, better access and better quality in health care,” Young said.

Young called a proposed public option to purchase Medicare coverage, which Axne supports, “nothing but a slow drip to single-payer health care.”

The candidates were asked how they would approach tax policy. Young said if elected he would defend tax cuts passed in 2017 which he said drove economic growth in the U.S. up to the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I want to get our economy just back where it was five months ago, one of the strongest economies in the history of the United States,” Young said. “That was with low taxes, that was with low regulation as well, and we need to make sure that that’s permanent.”

Axne blamed the tax cuts for a sharp increase in the federal deficit and said wealthy Americans should be asked to pay more.

Axne and Young also argued over how votes should be cast in the House of Representatives. In May, the House approved remote voting for the first time, allowing members to report colleague’s votes when they’re absent from the House floor. Young accused Axne of giving away her voting power to another member of Congress.

But Axne defended the practice, saying it is still her vote. She compared it to other forms of virtual work during the pandemic.

“I’ve been there every step of the way doing my job just like every single person in this country to get things done in a timeframe where sometimes that’s difficult,” Axne said.

Axne narrowly defeated Young in 2018 by less than 8,000 votes. This year is expected to be another close contest. Democrats hold a party registration advantage in three of Iowa’s four districts, but the margin in the 3rd District is the smallest among them - fewer than 13,000 voters.

Lindsey Moon is IPR's Senior Digital Producer
Grant Gerlock is a reporter covering Des Moines and central Iowa