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Iowa City Physician Takes on Incumbent Dave Loebsack on the Soapbox

John Pemble/IPR
Iowa City physician, 2nd District Republican candidate Christopher Peters

The Republican candidate for Congress in Iowa’s 2nd district spoke from the Des Moines Register Soapbox Friday, calling the incumbent “a nice guy but part of the status quo.”

Iowa city physician Christopher Peters hopes to unseat six- term Democrat Dave Loebsack. 

Peters said he would have voted differently from Loebsack on a host of issues, from health care to banking reform. 

He brings his medical expertise to the campaign.

"All people on the left are not snowflakes and all people on the right are not deplorables." -GOP candidate Christopher Peters

He says on health care, republicans haven’t gone far enough and democrats have gone too far.

“Republicans have said let's repeal the affordable care act or what remains of it and democrats are saying let's preserve the ACA we have or go for a Medicare for all plan,” Peters said.  

After getting a late start in the 2016 campaign, Peters won 46% of the vote.  This time he started campaigning last July and has visited all 24 counties in the district.   He’s running in part against Congress, saying our elected officials are followers, not leaders.

He won a smattering of applause from a small audience when he called for more civility in political discourse.

“All people on the left are not snowflakes, and all people on the right are not deplorables,” Peters said.  “There’s a lot of middle ground and opinion there.” 

Peters criticized Congress for failing to pass immigration reform, or to approve a proper budget for the last 20 years.   

Loebsack has served in the House since the Democratic sweep of 2006, when he defeated 30-year incumbent Republican Jim Leach.