1st District candidates to meet in GOP debate

It began as a crowded primary, five Republicans interested in challenging U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa.

Since then, three of the hopefuls have dropped out, leaving just two - Ben Lange and Will Johnson - competing for the GOP nomination in the 1st Congressional District.

The two candidates have crisscrossed the 12-county district, appearing at party forums and fundraisers, central committee meetings and other events.

Lange, an Independence lawyer, and Johnson, a Navy veteran from Dubuque, will square off in a debate at 7 p.m. in the Bettendorf High School auditorium. It is sponsored by the Scott County Republican Party.

“This is a good opportunity for people to come and learn,” said Judy Davidson, chairwoman of the Scott County GOP.

Lange, who previously worked for a Republican congressman from Minnesota, has criticized government spending levels, putting it in the context of his own family.

He's said as the father of two young daughters, he's worried about the debt they'll be left with.

Lange also been successful at tallying several endorsements from Republican figures in the district, and he's raised more money than Johnson, albeit a modest amount compared to Braley.

“At the end of the day, in the Republican primary, the question is who is the most viable candidate to defeat Mr. Braley,” Lange said.

Johnson, meanwhile, comes to the primary out of the Tea Party movement in Dubuque.

He sees himself as tilting against the status quo in both parties, advocating a far more limited foreign and military policy than either party.

He makes frequent references to the founding fathers, and he says people like his Tea Party colleagues are tired of government and politics as usual.

“They're tired of the status quo,” he said.

The debate will consist of several questions prepared by the party and some questions from the audience.

By Ed Tibbetts, Quad-City Times