Media coverage of IA political races in The Des Moines Register


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OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Zach Nunn: Voted YES on making abortion illegal at 20 weeks.     Abby Finkenauer: Voted NO on making abortion illegal at 20 weeks.     ACLU: Fight ban on abortion when heartbeat is heard, at 6 weeks.     Ashley Hinson: Voted YES on making abortion illegal at 20 weeks.     Carly Fiorina: Liberals believe in protecting flies, but not human life.     Jim Carlin: Vote for abortion ban at 6 weeks when heartbeat is heard.     Jim Carlin: Voted YES on making abortion illegal at 20 weeks.     Joni Ernst: Affordable access to contraception.     Kim Reynolds: Ban abortion after heartbeat is heard, at 6 weeks.     Mitt Romney: Was pro-choice, now proudly pro-life.     Nate Boulton: Voted NO on making abortion illegal at 20 weeks.     Randy Feenstra: Voted YES on making abortion illegal at 20 weeks.     Ras Smith: Vote against abortion ban at 6 weeks when heartbeat is heard.     Ras Smith: Voted NO on making abortion illegal at 20 weeks.     Rob Hogg: Vote against abortion ban at 6 weeks when heartbeat is heard.     Rob Hogg: Voted NO on making abortion illegal at 20 weeks.     Rudy Giuliani: Personally oppose abortion, but let the woman decide.     Terry Branstad: Signed law making abortion illegal at 20 weeks.     Tom Fiegen: Vote against abortion ban at 6 weeks when heartbeat is heard.     Chuck Grassley: No national abortion ban, but state bans are ok.     Michael Franken: Codify Roe v. Wade into law.     Kim Reynolds: Pledged to keep fighting to restrict abortion in Iowa.     Mike Pence: National abortion bans ought to be part of the debate.     Vivek Ramaswamy: Abortion is murder, should be regulated at the state level.

Budget & Economy     Barack Obama: Bush & GOP dug budget hole; need years to dig out.     Barack Obama: Save $150 billion in tax cuts for people who don’t need them.     Bill Richardson: Balanced 5 state budgets; priority to balance federal budget.     Bill Richardson: Supports restricted Constitutional balanced budget amendment.     Bill Richardson: Save $150 billion in tax cuts for people who don’t need them.     Chet Culver: 2009: across-the-board cuts of 10%, to balance budget.     Chris Dodd: Federal budget much more complicated & diverse than states’.     Duncan Hunter: Budget deficit & trade deficit to China create security risk.     Fred Thompson: $9 trillion debt affects our national security.     Fred Thompson: Deficit spending ok for military, infrastructure, and R&D.     Hillary Clinton: Look back to 1990s to see how I'd be fiscally responsible.     Joe Biden: Balancing budget is about priorities; GOP made wrong choices.     Joe Biden: Save Pentagon spending by getting the troops out of Iraq.     John Edwards: Get rid of structural deficiencies in American economy.     John McCain: Loss of economic strength leads to losing military strength.     Mike Huckabee: Do things differently so people need not sacrifice.     Mitt Romney: Economic strength comes from people, not from Washington.     Mitt Romney: Cut deficit via waste, like 342 different economic programs.     Ron Paul: Give up American empire; that reduces debt without sacrifice.     Ron Paul: We spend too much, tax too much, & print too much money.     Rudy Giuliani: Retire 42% of federal employees in next decade, to save $20B.     Rudy Giuliani: Restrain Congress' spending; don't ask people to sacrifice.     Rudy Giuliani: 10% across-the-board cut; people can get services other ways.     Tom Tancredo: End womb-to-tomb protections; stick to Constitutional limits.

Civil Rights     Fred Hubbell: Proud of Iowa's equal protection for same-sex couples.     Kim Reynolds: Same-sex marriage issue is now settled law.     Republican Party: Define marriage as one natural man and one natural woman.     Mike Pence: Battle against radical gender ideology for religious freedom.

Corporations     Barack Obama: Cap the farm subsidies for Fortune 500 companies.     Bill Richardson: Eliminate $73 billion in corporate welfare.     Joe Biden: We've yielded to corporate America on trade.     Rick Santorum: Pro-worker Republican; only 10% of Americans own businesses.     Rudy Giuliani: Reduce corporate tax from 35% to 25%, to increase revenue.     Rudy Giuliani: FactCheck: Corporate tax cut would reduce revenue by half.     Ted Cruz: Get senseless obstacles from Washington out of the way.

Crime     Fred Hubbell: Life sentence is sufficient instead of death penalty.     Kim Reynolds: Opposes reinstating the death penalty.     Larry Elder: Proposes removing soft-on-crime, George Soros-backed DAs.

Drugs     Cindy Axne: Supports decriminalization, not necessarily legalization.     Fred Hubbell: Wait-and-see on decriminalizing marijuana.

Education     Alan Keyes: We allowed the judges to drive God out of our schools.     Barack Obama: Get parents re-engaged in educating the children.     Bill Richardson: FactCheck: NM teacher salary only moved from 44th to 36th.     Bill Richardson: FactCheck: NM test scores have not made “enormous progress”.     Bill Richardson: Make education a top priority and scrap No Child Left Behind.     Chris Dodd: Parents are the first teachers.     Duncan Hunter: Unions and status quo run good teachers out of teaching.     Fred Thompson: The NEA opposes school choice; we must stop them.     Hillary Clinton: Fully fund special education & 21st century classrooms.     Joe Biden: Hire more teachers and pay them for smaller classes.     John Edwards: Provide continual education for those in the work force.     John Edwards: A comprehensive plan to improve education.     John McCain: We need more choice and competition in education.     Kimberly Graham: Should be illegal for college loans to triple from interest.     Michele Bachmann: Don't censor intelligent design, but it's a state issue.     Mike Huckabee: FactCheck: AR improved test scores, but still below-average.     Mike Huckabee: Education is a state issue, not a federal issue.     Mike Huckabee: Common Core morphed into a frankenstandard that I oppose.     Mitt Romney: FactCheck: US scores at 50% internationally, not 10%-25%.     Mitt Romney: FactCheck: MA 1st in test scores, but was 1st before Romney.     Mitt Romney: Education is not just the teachers' union.     Mitt Romney: Bush was right on No Child Left Behind.     Rick Santorum: Reform education; only 30% get college degrees.     Ron Paul: Encourage homeschooling & private school via tax writeoff.     Rudy Giuliani: Let parents be the deciders on their children's education.     Tom Tancredo: We don't need the Department of Education.

Energy & Oil     Bill Richardson: FactCheck: Reducing GHGs by 90% costs households $800/yr.     Bill Richardson: 30% renewable sources in our electricity by 2020.     Bob Krause: 1978: Supported bipartisan gas tax increase.     Duncan Hunter: Give incentives in R&D to find new energy sources.     Joe Biden: The energy challenge take sacrifice and is a moral crusade.     John McCain: FactCheck: Oil independence will take 25 years, not 5 years.     John McCain: Climate change is real and must be addressed.     Mike Huckabee: Biofuel mandates are not necessary.     Mitt Romney: Invest in new technologies to get us off of foreign oil.     Rob Hogg: Address climate change with solutions that work for economy.     Tom Tancredo: Give incentives in R&D to find new energy sources.

Environment     Barack Obama: Promote green technologies and fuel efficiency standards.     Chris Dodd: Advocate a corporate carbon tax.     George Pataki: Opposed to RFS: no ethanol mandate in gasoline.     Hillary Clinton: Advocate a cap and trade system.     John Edwards: Deal with energy independence in a serious way.

Families & Children     Abby Finkenauer: Better access to child care as infrastructure investment.     Mitt Romney: Strong military, strong economy, and strong families.     Mitt Romney: FactCheck: Teenage birth rate declined from 1991 to 2005.     Ted Cruz: Opposes the unrelenting assault on traditional marriage.

Foreign Policy     Barack Obama: Obama Doctrine: ideology has overridden facts and reality.     Barack Obama: China is a competitor but not an enemy.     Carly Fiorina: I've accomplished something by traveling around the world.     Chris Dodd: FactCheck: No, Chinese government prosecutes slavery.     Chris Dodd: Stay engaged; US has been AWOL on Israel for 6 years.     Chris Dodd: Human rights and security are not opposing interests.     Hillary Clinton: Establish coherent diplomatic approach toward China.     Hillary Clinton: Establish leadership & moral authority via multilateralism.     Joe Biden: Doctrine of crisis prevention, not preemption.     John Edwards: US has ignored China because of obsession with terrorism.     John Edwards: Edwards Doctrine: long term vision over ad hoc policy.     Mike Huckabee: Islamic terrorism is the country's most pressing issue.     Ron Paul: Focus on the Iraq war and foreign policy.

Free Trade     Barack Obama: Enforce existing safety laws against Chinese products.     Barack Obama: NAFTA needs to be amended.     Bob Krause: Emergency legislation emphasizing fair trade.     Bill Richardson: Ban contaminated toys and food from China.     Chris Dodd: China gains advantage by slavery & currency manipulation.     Chris Dodd: We need to get fair with China.     Dennis Kucinich: We need a policy of constructive engagement with China.     Dennis Kucinich: Either buy America or bye-bye America.     Duncan Hunter: NAFTA is a bad business deal.     Fred Thompson: Free and fair trade is the backbone of our economy.     Joe Biden: No to tariffs; just enforce the law.     Joe Biden: Built environmental and labor standards in trade agreements.     John Edwards: Enforce country-of-origin labeling laws to deal with China.     John Edwards: Human rights should be central to the US trade policy.     John McCain: Consider subsidies a mistake, and oppose them.     Lamar Alexander: Fast-track helps farm exports.     Mike Huckabee: A free country must feed, fuel, & fight for itself.     Mitt Romney: Re-negotiate trade deals with China and other countries.     Patty Judge: Oppose TPP: I don't know that free trade is good for Iowa.     Ron Paul: Look at the monetary system and deal with the trade issues.     Rudy Giuliani: NAFTA has been a good thing and should be enforced.     Tom Tancredo: Oil trade imbalance is a national security risk.     Tom Tancredo: NAFTA has been a disaster for many places, especially Mexico.     Ryan Binkley: There must be a level playing field for fair trade.

Government Reform     Abby Finkenauer: Advisor to "Next 50," increasing youth political engagement.     Alan Keyes: Focus on moral sovereignty, tax reform, & sealing the border.     Ben Carson: 5-year federal hiring freeze, to decrease size of government.     Bill Richardson: Focus on Iraq, energy reform, and restoring the Constitution.     Duncan Hunter: Focus on the military, immigration, & the industrial base.     Fred Hubbell: Supports term limits for Iowa governor.     Fred Thompson: Focus on the budget, social policy, and bipartisanship.     Hillary Clinton: Never abuse the purpose of signing statements.     Joe Biden: Radical change to preserve family farmers.     John Edwards: Use signing statements as in the past, unlike Bush.     John McCain: Focus on homeland safety, restoring trust, and fiscal policy.     Kim Reynolds: Opposes term limits for Iowa governor.     Kim Reynolds: Cut early voting period; close polls an hour earlier.     Mike Huckabee: Focus on uniting the country.     Mitt Romney: Focus on global Jihad, immigration, tax cut, and healthcare.     Rob Hogg: Repeal the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.     Rudy Giuliani: Focus on terrorism, immigration, tax cut, & small government.     Terry Branstad: 2010: No fees for government records; 2011: imposed fees.     Tom Tancredo: Focus on immigration and a war against radical Islam.     Chuck Grassley: Update Electoral Count Act to avoid another January 6th.

Gun Control     Orrin Hatch: Mental health check as part of background check.     Orrin Hatch: Gun violence problems can be solved by more enforcement.

Health Care     Barack Obama: FactCheck: Reducing obesity would save $18B, not $1T.     Barack Obama: Reforms in prevention and drug price negotiation save money.     Bill Richardson: FactCheck: Between 7% and 31% of costs are administrative.     Bill Richardson: Universal health care is a right for every American.     Bruce Braley: Repealing ObamaCare would deprive millions of insurance.     Donald Trump: Save Medicare & Medicaid without cutting them to the bone.     Joni Ernst: FactCheck: False claim that ObamaCare cut Medicare benefits.     Kimberly Graham: Advocates universal, single-payer government coverage.     Ted Cruz: Support nuns' battle for religious liberty against ObamaCare.

Homeland Security     Carly Fiorina: On Benghazi: I'm familiar with America's allies and enemies.     Donald Trump: Defeat ISIS and stop Islamic terrorists.     Fred Thompson: Intelligence and parts of our military were neglected.     Joe Biden: Cut $350B in military programs, from Star Wars to F-22's.     Newt Gingrich: Threat of militant Islam is comparable to pre-WWII Nazis.     Sarah Palin: Muslim jihadists threaten our way of life.

Immigration     Ben Carson: Common-sense solutions: guest workers plus harsher penalties.     Chet Culver: Feds should deal with immigration, not state police.     Lindsey Graham: Legal status for undocumented workers.     Rick Perry: If Washington refuses to enforce the border, Texas will.     Terry Branstad: Cops should check citizenship status during traffic stops.

Jobs     Barack Obama: Paying more at Wal-Mart is worth it for having US jobs.     Chris Dodd: Preserve and protect the farms in Iowa.     Kim Reynolds: Double required job searches; drop federal benefits early.     Mike Huckabee: Excessive taxes, red tape, and litigation cause job losses.

Principles & Values     Alan Keyes: Be authentic about who you are.     Ashley Hinson: Getting started in Congress; considering run for Senate.     Barack Obama: Focus on Iraq, revising presidential power, and healthcare.     Chris Dodd: Focus on the Constitution, Iraq, and the Middle East.     Cindy Axne: Government out of church decision on contraception insurance.     Elizabeth Dole: Economic health masks serious societal problems.     Hillary Clinton: Focus on foreign policy and revising executive orders.     Jack Hatch: Iowans are ready for a fresh start.     Joe Biden: Focus on Iraq, ending torture, healthcare, and education.     John Edwards: Focus on the Iraq War, healthcare, and global warming.     John McCain: Able to work with others with own set of principles.     Joni Ernst: Obama administration misused power to spy on Trump.     Mike Huckabee: Treat others as you wish to be treated.     Mitt Romney: Draw upon the strengths of the conservative principles.     Ron Paul: All political action's goal should be to preserve liberty.     Ron Paul: The term "revolution" was coined by the supporters.     Theresa Greenfield: Shaped by growing up on family farm.     Michael Franken: Too many Republicans sympathize with riot on Jan. 6.

Social Security     Fred Thompson: Reform entitlements now so our grandkids don't have to.     Pete Buttigieg: Would establish $90/day benefit for long-term care.     Theresa Greenfield: Credits Social Security with support after death of husband.

Tax Reform     Alan Keyes: FairTax turns off spigot that funds political ambitions.     Art Small: Tax cuts have short-term benefit and long-term costs.     Bill Richardson: End unfair & unequal tax structure for wealthiest 2%.     Duncan Hunter: FactCheck: Cost of IRS compliance is $150B,not $250B.     Duncan Hunter: The IRS and current tax system cost too much.     Fred Thompson: Preserve the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003.     Hillary Clinton: Want to restore the tax rates we had in the ‘90s.     Joe Biden: Save $150 billion in tax cuts for people who don't need them.     John Edwards: Get rid of the tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.     John McCain: Reform the tax code that nobody trusts and believes in.     Mike Huckabee: Support FairTax with a tax credit for the poor.     Mitt Romney: Reduce the tax burden on middle-income families.     Rick Perry: Lower taxes & less regulation made Texas a job leader.     Ron Paul: The most sinister of all taxes is the inflation tax.     Rudy Giuliani: Support a flatter and simpler tax and less corporate tax.     Tom Tancredo: Believe in a fair tax system.

War & Peace     Art Small: Neocons still believe there are WMDs in Iraq.     Barack Obama: Iran: Bush does not let facts get in the way of ideology.     Chris Dodd: Exercise caution but pursuing diplomacy with Iran.     Chris Dodd: Keep all options on the table for Iran.     Dennis Kucinich: I was right the first time; now no evidence of nukes in Iran.     Dennis Kucinich: US role: security for Israel and a state for Palestine.     Hillary Clinton: Continue diplomatic engagement with Iran.     Hillary Clinton: Believed, with others, that Iran was pursuing nuclear weapon.     Joe Biden: Accept NIE conclusion that Iran stopped nukes in 2003.     Joe Biden: Muslims don't like us because they do not trust us.     John Edwards: Stop the neocons march to war with Iran.     John Edwards: Muslim dislike from Bush's bullying abusive behavior.     Mike Gravel: Iran's not a problem, never has been, never will be.     Tom Tancredo: Stop policing Iraq, but cannot leave.     Ryan Binkley: In Ukraine, both sides have got to feel successful.

Welfare & Poverty     Chris Dodd: Help lift people out of poverty and give them opportunities.     Michele Bachmann: Liability shield to allow charities to provide healthcare.     Michael Franken: Reduce inflation without catering to corporations.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Abby Finkenauer Democratic Challenger Iowa ACLU Alan Keyes Republican Art Small 2004 former Democratic challenger; previously State Senator Iowa Ashley Hinson Republican U.S. Rep Iowa-1 Barack Obama Illinois Democratic President Ben Carson HUD Secretary Bill Richardson New Mexico Former Democratic Governor (2002-2010) and Cabinet Sec'y Bob Krause Democratic Senate Challenger Iowa Bruce Braley Democratic Challenger Iowa Carly Fiorina California V.P. nominee toTed Cruz Chet Culver Iowa Democratic Gubernatorial Challenger Chris Dodd Democrat Chuck Grassley Republican Sr Senator Iowa Cindy Axne Democrat U.S. Rep Iowa-3 Dennis Kucinich Ohio Democratic candidate for Governor Donald Trump Republican Presidential incumbent Duncan Hunter Republican Elizabeth Dole North Carolina Former Cabinet Member (Labor Sec'y) and Senator Fred Hubbell Iowa Democratic candidate for governor of Iowa Fred Thompson Republican George Pataki New York Republican presidential candidate Hillary Clinton Democratic Presidential candidate Jack Hatch Iowa Democratic Challenger Jim Carlin Senate candidate Iowa Joe Biden Democratic President; former V.P.; former Senator John Edwards Democrat John McCain Republican Joni Ernst Republican Jr Senator Iowa Kim Reynolds Iowa Republican Kimberly Graham Democratic 2020 Senate Challenger Iowa Lamar Alexander Republican Sr Senator (retiring 2020) Tennessee Larry Elder California Republican presidential contender (withdrew Oct.2023) Lindsey Graham South Carolina S.C. Senator; Republican Presidential candidate Michael Franken Democratic Senate Challenger Iowa Michele Bachmann Republican Mike Gravel Democratic challenger for president Mike Huckabee Arkansas Republican Presidential candidate Mike Pence Indiana Former Republican Vice President (withdrew Oct.2023) Mitt Romney Massachusetts Former GOP Governor (2003-2006); Pres. candidate (2008) Nate Boulton Iowa Democratic candidate for Iowa Gov Newt Gingrich Republican Orrin Hatch Republican Sr Senator (retiring 2018) Utah Patty Judge Democratic candidate for Senate Iowa Pete Buttigieg Indiana DOT Secretary Randy Feenstra Republican U.S. Rep Iowa-4 Ras Smith Iowa Democratic challenger for Governor Republican Party Rick Perry Texas Former Secretary of Energy Rick Santorum Republican Presidential candidate Rob Hogg Democratic Senate challenger Iowa Ron Paul Republican (Libertarian 1988) Rudy Giuliani New York Former Mayor of NYC Ryan Binkley Republican challenger for President Sarah Palin Alaska Former Governor (resigned 2009); V.P. nominee (2008) Ted Cruz Republican 2016 Primary Challenger Terry Branstad Iowa Former Ambassador to China Theresa Greenfield Democratic Senate Challenger Iowa Tom Fiegen Democratic Senate challenger Iowa Tom Tancredo Colorado Republican Gubernatorial Challenger (withdrew) Vivek Ramaswamy District of Columbia Republican Challenger Zach Nunn Republican U.S. Rep Iowa-3