U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley hopes to continue work in Senate

WATERLOO - U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, hopes to continue to build on the work he's been doing for the last seven years in Congress. But with a different title.

Braley, 57, will be the sole U.S. Senate candidate on the Democratic primary ballot June 3. He will face off against one of five candidates vying for the Republican nomination in a general election race that is expected to get national attention.

Though he has a list of agenda items to begin or continue, if elected to the U.S. Senate, Braley is less focused on what he'll do in office and more about winning that office.

'The most important thing I'm focused on is listening to Iowans,” Braley said, adding that he's visited all of Iowa's 99 counties to get input. 'They tell me they want proven problem solvers.”

He adds that he has a record of working across the aisle and tackling tough problems, and he hopes to use the deliberative body of the Senate to build consensus around ideas that will move the country and Iowa forward.

Braley, an Iowa native now living in Waterloo, said he wants to follow in the footsteps of retiring U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, whom Braley is seeking to replace. He said like Harkin he would seek to be a voice for working-class Iowans struggling to enter the middle class, preserve Social Security and Medicare and provide opportunities for people to earn a living in Iowa.

He said if a minimum-wage increase does not pass during this session of Congress, he will continue to champion the issue, which has been a focus for Harkin this year. Braley said he also will continue his focus on economic issues in general.

'It's the same type of economic issues I've been talking about for the last nine years: policies to expand the middle class,” Braley said.

He said investing in education would lead to innovation and new jobs. Beyond that, Braley said he also would work to protect the social safety net.

Part of protecting the safety net means defending the Affordable Care Act. Braley already has become a target for his support of the legislation, also called Obamacare.

Braley acknowledges the bill he supported is not perfect, but he defends his support by saying it is better than the alternative.

'We can't afford to go back to where we were before,” Braley said, pointing to pre-ACA problems such as 50 million uninsured, insurance companies denying people for pre-existing conditions or canceling policies without notice. 'We have changed all those things.”

Braley said he would also continue his focus on veterans' issues, renewable energy and the difficulties that rural Iowans face.

Bio

Bruce Braley

'Age

: 57

'Occupation

: Attorney

'Previous elected experience

: U.S. House of Representatives, 2007-present

'Hometown

: Waterloo; Native of Brooklyn