Four of the five Republicans running for governor discussed water quality, health facility closures and immigration during a debate that aired Tuesday evening on KCCI television.
State Rep. Eddie Andrews, former state Rep. Brad Sherman, businessman Zach Lahn and former state agency director Adam Steen joined the debate as early voting in the primary election is underway. U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra did not participate. The winner of the primary will face Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand in the general election this fall.
The candidates were asked if water quality practices should continue to be voluntary or if more state regulations are needed.
Sherman said government needs to find a balance.
“We don’t want to force people, but there is a place for government to step in and regulate and say we have to protect life,” Sherman said.
Steen said he hates government regulation and that fewer regulations could better help farmers reduce water pollution.
“I believe in our farmers. I believe in Iowans,” Steen said. “I believe they’re doing what they’re called to do. And I believe that they’re doing everything they can do to protect their families and the families across Iowa.”
Lahn said the Legislature’s recent decision to spend $25 million on boosting nitrate removal capacity in central Iowa shows current pollution reduction strategies are not working. He said the state should provide more financial incentives for farmers to reduce nitrate runoff.
Andrews said more education for farmers is needed.
Ensuring healthcare access in rural Iowa
Debate moderators asked the candidates what they could do, if elected governor, to prevent health facility closures and ensure healthcare access in rural Iowa.
Lane, Steen and Sherman all said Iowa needs to grow its population in rural communities.
But Lahn said consolidation in the healthcare industry is an even bigger issue that has led to health facility closures. He said healthcare companies are deciding to close clinics solely based on their profitability.
“We need to make sure that we are using our antitrust laws to make sure that we are having local choice and people that care about the communities that they’re within that will stay for the long haul,” Lahn said.
Andrews said he wants to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates that are paid to health providers.
“We’ve been successful on some of the mental health rates, but we need to do more,” he said.
Steen said recruiting new businesses to rural Iowa would help drive demand for healthcare, and promoting skilled trades and healthcare careers in schools would help fill staff shortages.
Temporary legal status for foreign-born workers
The candidates were asked for their thoughts on allowing temporary foreign workers to fill workforce gaps in Iowa.
Andrews said people who are already in the U.S. are having trouble finding a job.
“And so I think we do need to prioritize Iowans and Americans here, and as people come and are welcoming and assimilated into our society and become Americans, second,” Andrews said.
Lahn said the U.S. is a welcoming country, but some foreign worker programs have been abused. He specifically pointed to H-1B visas that allow employers to bring in skilled workers from other countries. Lahn said he wants to ban the use of H1-B visas in Iowa’s public universities and state government.
“The reason is, Iowa people will do these jobs,” Lahn said. “I reject the idea that our people won’t do these jobs.”
Sherman said as long as migrant workers are here legally and are tracked, there is a place for them.
“I know of one farm that’s doing almost 50,000 acres of organic farming, and so they have to have a lot of manual labor to take care of their crops,” Sherman said. “So you can’t cut it off right away.”
Steen said he appreciates what President Donald Trump has done with immigration policy, and he would follow Trump’s lead. But he also said if people in the U.S. without legal status and without a criminal record report to the government and leave the country, they should be able to come back legally and work.
“If they self-report and they’re here legally, and we know that, and … we are tracking them, and they’re paying taxes — I’m all for it,” Steen said.
Billy Fuerst, spokesperson for Feenstra’s campaign, did not tell IPR News why Feenstra skipped the debate.
“Randy Feenstra is the only Republican candidate for governor who has worked with President Trump to deliver for Iowa,” his statement reads, in part. “Together, they secured the border, deported dangerous illegal immigrants and passed the largest tax cuts for Iowa families in U.S. history.”
The debate aired shortly after new campaign finance reports showed Lahn raised more money than Feenstra from Jan. 1 to May 14. Sand’s fundraising, however, dwarfed that of the Republican primary field.
Primary election day is June 2. One of the GOP candidates must get at least 35% of the vote to win the primary. If all candidates fall short of that threshold, delegates to the June 13 Republican state convention will choose a nominee for governor.
