2014 Iowa Senate Debates: on Principles & Values

Joni Ernst: Judeo-Christian values established our government framework

Ernst: Strongly Disagree.

Question topic: Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.

Ernst: Strongly Agree.

Question topic: Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

Ernst: I am a Christian. I have grown up in the Lutheran faith, worship in the church I grew up in, and continue to teach Sunday school in that very church. My faith and beliefs continue to define who I am today as a mother, wife, soldier, state senator and community leader.

Doug Butzier: Oppose limits on prayer in public places

A: Not sure what you mean by keeping God in the public sphere, but I would oppose any limits to freedom of speech, including prayer in public places.

Sam Clovis: Judeo-Christian values established our government framework

Clovis: Strongly Disagree.

Question topic: Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.

Clovis: Strongly Agree.

Question topic: Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

Clovis: I was raised evangelical and converted to Catholicism while in college. Thus, I am a conservative Catholic with a very wide evangelical streak. I drifted away from my faith until I had a "road to Damascus" moment in 1990. I had to pick young men to go off to war and found that I could not do that without getting back on my knees to ask for strength and wisdom. I have been on a spiritual journey back ever since. I live my faith, have accepted Christ as my Savior, witness for Him and hold strongly to the Word of God. I have been endorsed by [several] Pastors--all established evangelical faith leaders in Iowa.

Joni Ernst: FactCheck: Missed half of state Senate votes for campaigning

[When asked about the missed votes, Ernst said], "They've included in those votes time I've been serving on orders with Iowa Army National Guard." The interviewer asked whether some of the missed votes were due to campaigning. "Yes, there were," Ernst said. "They were for other scheduled activities, and not knowing what the debate calendar is before they come up."

According to the Iowa National Guard, Ernst was on orders for training or other duty on [12 days this session, but] only two of those days--March 10-11-- overlapped with days the Iowa Senate held votes, accounting for 12 votes (or about 10%) of the 117 missed votes. Excluding the days that overlapped with Ernst's guard duty, she's missed 105 votes, or 57% of the Iowa Senate votes this session.

Bruce Braley: Apologizes for denigrating Senator as farmer & not lawyer

The speech was made to a group of lawyers; Braley himself is a trial lawyer. But the backlash was severe, and Braley apologized.

In an opinion piece published in The Iowa Republican, Senator Ted Cruz (R,TX), a lawyer himself, touted Grassley and his accomplishments in the Senate. "Washington would be a lot better off if we had more farmers in Congress and a lot fewer trial lawyers," Cruz writes. "I served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and in my opinion Chuck Grassley--that Iowa farmer whom Braley was denigrating--would make an outstanding chairman of that committee," he went on.

Joni Ernst: AdWatch: "Let's make 'em squeal" in Washington

Not only does she remove pig testicles, she smiles talking about it. The gender politics behind the spot--Ernst would join only four other female Republicans in the Senate if she wins--are both bold and hilarious. In a city of broken down men, she tells voters, it will take a woman with a knife to fix things. "Let's make 'em squeal," she announces. And at that point she is no longer talking about pigs, at least not of the livestock type.

Matthew Whitaker: OpEd: disagrees with entire liberal laundry list

Joni Ernst: Values we grew up with are being threatened now

Joni Ernst remarked that what drives her is a desire to protect Iowa values from federal overreach. "The values that I hold dear, that I grew up with and that I have fought for, for over 20 years are being threatened by the failed policies of this president," Ernst said.