1st District GOP candidates agree -- word-for-word

By James Q. Lynch 

The Gazette

It's not unusual for political rivals to agree once in a while. Occasionally, they may even use some of the same words to describe themselves or their positions.

First District congressional hopefuls Ben Lange and Mike LaCoste have taken it beyond similar wording, however. They've posted identical statements on their respective Internet websites encouraging people to volunteer for their campaigns.

Word-for-word identical.

Under the heading “Volunteer,” LaCoste and Lange, two of the Republicans seeking the nomination to face Democrat Rep. Bruce Braley, begin this way:

“There is a rising political movement in America, and our campaign is a critical part.”

They continue with the same words – including a grammatical error (since corrected):

“This movement is driven by everyday folks like you and I. Folks who are willing to believe, folks who are willing to take a stand, and folks who are willing to fight for our cause. Whether it is talking with your neighbors, walking door-to-door, or putting up yard signs, this movement and this campaign will depend on YOU! Never volunteered before? No problem! We'll show you the ropes. Don't have much time? No problem! We'll plug you in as YOUR time allows. So please sign-up today! Our country needs you.”

Cody Brown of the Lange campaign claimed it penned its statement and that the volunteer page on its website, www.langeforcongress.com, has been unchanged for over a month. LaCoste's updated website, www.lacosteforcongress.com, unveiled last week contained more than 100 words of the exact same text as the Lange volunteer page, Brown said.

“We are grateful for their interest in our campaign, as well as their apparent agreement with our conservative message,” Brown said. “While some campaigns may call this plagiarism, we choose to view it simply as another sign of Ben Lange's leadership here in the 1st Congressional District.”

Although he understands why opponents would want to emulate Lange's “strong and compelling message,” Brown believes “voters want an authentic conservative candidate who is willing to speak with his own voice.”

LaCoste originally said he authored everything on his website.

“I never took anything from (Lange's) website,” he said.

After reading his statement about volunteering, LaCoste modified that.

“I didn't write that at all,” the John Deere retiree said.

“My parts are why I'm running – those are the exact words,” LaCoste said. “The issue statements are my exact words, my bio and the citizen-legislator principles on my home page.”

It appeared to LaCoste the volunteer statement was placed there by the people who handle his website.

“Whether he copied, I'll find out,” he said. “That will be changed. I don't want the same wording on two websites.”

Later, after talking to the person handling his website, LaCoste made clear he was “none too happy about the situation.”

“Someone just got a good ear-chewing,” he said.

By late morning, LaCoste's website had been changed. It now says:

“YOU do have a voice.  Your voice CAN and WILL be heard by many when you join the “We Like Mike” team.  The success of Mike's campaign depends on YOUR voice.  Do you want your VOICE heard? We have many ways for your voice to be heard, like talking to neighbors, walking door-to-door, or putting up yard signs.  Don't worry if you have never volunteered before, we'll guide you along the way.  We understand individuals are busy, so the time you have available, we will help you make your voice heard.  Please, fill out the form below or feel free to contact us with any questions.”

In addition to LaCoste and Lange, Will Johnson of Dubuque and James Budde of Bellevue are seeking the GOP nomination in the June 8 primary.

Braley is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.