6 GOP White House hopefuls speak to Christian conservatives in Iowa

DES MOINES — Mike Pence faced pointed questions on Ukraine, and Asa Hutchinson was pressed on gender transition treatments.

Pence and Ron DeSantis were asked whether they would, as president, sign into federal law significant abortion restrictions similar to the one signed into law in Iowa — signed, in fact, at the same Family Leadership Summit where they were being questioned.

It all happened Friday in front of nearly 2,000 Christian conservatives gathered in a ballroom at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in downtown Des Moines.

The attendees heard former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson interview six Republican presidential hopefuls: South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The annual Family Leadership Summit is hosted by the Iowa-based group The Family Leader, an influential organization in Iowa politics led by Bob Vander Plaats, its president and CEO.

Former President Donald Trump, who has dominated national polling of the Republican primary field, declined an offer to attend. According to the New York Times, and confirmed by Vander Plaats, the Trump campaign offered to send Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance as a surrogate for Trump. But Vander Plaats declined, saying the organization does not permit surrogates to speak.

Vander Plaats has been increasingly critical of Trump in recent months, including earlier this week after Trump claimed credit for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ election victory in 2018.

Jennifer Stark, 50, of Ankeny, was attending the group’s annual event for the first time. She said she is likely to participate in the first-in-the-nation Iowa Republican caucuses in January and that she is undecided on who she will support, although she is “heavily leaning” toward DeSantis.

“I’ve seen what he’s done over the past couple of years, and he’s stood up to the establishment,” Stark said of DeSantis. “He’s fought for family. He’s fought for life. He’s fought against (COVID restrictions). He’s fought to keep our liberty in play. And I like that he’s a stronger, more moral guy to follow than Trump.”

Stark said she came to the event “to get some hope that there’s potential change that can be done, that it’s not too late to have a good representation and biblical values that are supported from our leaders.”

Candidate interviews

During Carlson’s interview with Pence, he pressed the former vice president on Ukraine.

Pence, in his introductory remarks, had said he was a staunch defender of religious liberty. Why then, Carlson asked, wasn’t Pence condemning the arrests of Russian Orthodox priests in Ukraine.

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In April, a Kyiv court ordered a leading priest to be put under house arrest after Ukraine’s top security agency said he was suspected of justifying Russian aggression, a criminal offense, the Associated Press reported.

Pence said he discussed the subject with Ukrainian leaders during his recent visit to Ukraine.

“I raised (the issue) with the leader of the Orthodox Church,” Pence said. “He assured me the Zelenskyy government was respecting religious liberty. … People are not being persecuted for their religious beliefs.”

After being pressed further by Carlson, Pence added, “If people are being persecuted for their religious beliefs, I won’t stand for it.”

In questioning Hutchison, Carlson asked about his 2021 veto of legislation passed by Arkansas lawmakers that would have prohibited doctors from providing gender-confirming hormone treatment, puberty blockers or surgery to anyone under age 18.

Hutchison said he vetoed the legislation because he felt that decision should be made by parents, not the government.

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“What I believe in is that parents ought to raise their children,” Hutchison said. ”I believe that God created two genders, and that there should not be any confusion on your gender. But if there is confusion, then parents ought to be the one to guide their children. … So I sided with parents on that issue.”

Abortion bill signed

During the Family Leader event, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a near-total ban on abortions in the state.

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The bill is a second attempt at what supporters call a “fetal heartbeat” bill. The first bill was blocked by the Iowa courts, and last month the Iowa Supreme Court declined on procedural grounds to consider a request to reinstate that 2018 law.

DeSantis and Pence were asked whether, as president, they would sign into law similar restrictions at the federal level. Both declined to say they would.

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“Of course, I want to sign pro-life legislation,” said DeSantis, who recently signed into law similar abortion restrictions in Florida. “(Federally), I don’t think Rome was built in a day. Progress in some parts of the country (will be more challenging). But as president, I would use the bully pulpit to support governors like Kim Reynolds and other states when they advance the cause of life.”

Pence told reporters that he maintains his advocacy for a federal ban on abortions at 15 weeks of pregnancy.

“What I’m advocating for on the federal level is a 15-week minimum standard,” Pence said. “I think it's an idea whose time has come.”

Democrat response

Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Tammy Duckworth and Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst held a press call Thursday ahead of the summit slamming Republicans for pushing an “extreme” agenda of stripping women’s freedom to make their own health care decisions in their push to ban abortion nationwide.

Konfrst called The Family Leader “a right-wing, extremist organization that is one of the most influential special interest organizations in the state of Iowa."

“Gov. Reynolds and MAGA Republicans are doing what the special interests want; not listening to Iowans,” Konfrst said.

She referred to an often-cited Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll from March that found 61 percent of Iowa adults believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 35 percent said the procedure should be illegal in most or all cases.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com