After primary victory, Conlin looking forward to hitting campaign trail again

CEDAR RAPIDS – Taking a page from her opponent's book, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Roxanne Conlin will return to each of Iowa's 99 counties to listen and learn what's on voters' minds.

Conlin who handily won a three-way primary Tuesday, said she's looking forward to getting out on the campaign and continuing to talk to Iowans about why five-term Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley needs to be retired.

“From the beginning I have been basically running a campaign against Sen. Grassley, Conlin said during a stop in Cedar Rapids June 11. “My intention is to continue to exactly that, only more.”

She visited all 99 counties during the primary race against former state legislators Bob Krause of Fairfield and Tom Fiegen of Clarence. During the primary campaign, her campaign made 200,000 phone calls and signed up 61,000 Iowans on her campaign website: www.roxanneforiowa.com.

What she learned in the first 99-county tour is that many Iowans who have voted for Grassley in the past don't plan to vote for him again “because he's out of touch with Iowa and Iowans.”

Then they refer to some vote that, to them, shows “he no longer represents the best interests of Iowans,” Conlin said.

“Most often it is his vote in favor of bailing out Wall Street,” she said. “I, and most of the people of Iowa, think that was a terrible vote. The idea of turning over $700 billion of taxpayer money to the people who drove our economy off the cliff, with no strings attached, is a pretty dumb thing to do.”

Grassley's opposition to the health care reform package signed into law also points to his disconnect from Iowa, Conlin said.

As she talks to Iowans, Conlin plans to emphasize the need for jobs. She wants to create jobs by investing in infrastructure and green energy. She would finance jobs programs by repealing tax breaks to corporations that move jobs overseas and the $35 billion in subsidies to oil companies.