Murphy, Vernon scrap over credentials in Iowa 1st District debate

DES MOINES — Although they agreed on the need to raise the minimum wage and protect the rights of LGBTs and women's right to an abortion, and opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, two candidates for the Democratic U.S. House nomination in northeast Iowa found plenty to disagree about Wednesday night.

Mostly, Pat Murphy and Monica Vernon disagreed on who is the more Democratic Democrat. Responding to a question about her switching her party affiliation from Republican to Democratic in 2009, Vernon maintained she has 'a long history of being a progressive.'

'I am so proud today to be a Democrat … (who) proudly ran as your lieutenant governor candidate in 2014,' Vernon said at Loras College. 'We move forward in life and I'm just proud to be here, proud to be a proud progressive.'

It's legitimate to question her Democratic credentials, Murphy countered, asking whether Vernon was a 'lifelong progressive' when she was supporting Phil Gramm 'who helped defeat Hillarycare in the 1990s' or when she donated to the Linn County Republican Eagles and the Linn County Republican Women 'who spent their money against Barack Obama?'

'This is something that needs to be discussed because I've been a lifelong progressive,' he said. 'I've been a Democrat since the day I registered back in 1977.'

Vernon and Murphy continued that theme throughout the hourlong debate sponsored by Dubuque County Democrats and Loras College Democrats along with KCRG-TV9, which carried it live on its 9.3 channel.

Vernon said some of the things Murphy claimed were 'you know, made up, they're innuendos.' She contrasted her support for pro-choice with Murphy's history of 'not always being in favor' of a woman's right to choose.

Pressed on what Murphy said that was not accurate, said he can't say why she wrote those checks.

'I don't think that you can connect the dots in that way,' Vernon said.

Vernon and Murphy, who are seeking to be the Democratic challenger to first-term Dubuque Republican Rep. Rod Blum, agreed that raising the minimum wage is a priority. However, Murphy wanted a $15-an-hour base while Vernon called for $12 by 2020. He also criticized her for never calling for a higher local minimum wage during her eight years on the Cedar Rapids City Council.

They also agreed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a pending trade agreement among the U.S., and 11 Pacific Rim countries that would eliminate tariffs on goods and services, and remove many barriers to trade within the region, would be bad for Iowans and the state's economy even though farm groups support its ratification by Congress.

'It's very, very important that we are able to trade our commodities from this agricultural state,' Vernon said, 'but I don't want to lose any more factories, any more jobs from Iowa.'

The agricultural community 'gets excited' about TPP, Murphy said, 'But it is not good for the rest of the state if we have ag doing well and we watch the infrastructure of the jobs that we have in our communities dissipate.'

Murphy and Vernon are scheduled to participate in forums April 23 at Monticello City Hall, April 29 at the School for the Blind in Vinton and May 13 at the Tama Ballroom in Tama.