Functioning government, collective bargaining, water quality separate Iowa U.S. Senate candidates

JOHNSTON - Chuck Grassley was the evening's No. 1 target, but the four Democrats hoping to challenge him in this fall's election also made some time to distinguish themselves.

The four Democrats running in the June 7 primary - Patty Judge of Albia, a former lieutenant governor and state AG secretary; state Sen. Rob Hogg, an attorney, of Cedar Rapids; attorney Tom Fiegen of Clarence; and veterans advocate Bob Krause of Fairfield - participated in the debate broadcast Thursday evening on Iowa Public Television.

The Democrat chosen in the primary will face Grassley, Iowa's longtime Republican incumbent U.S. senator, in this fall's general election.

Much of the candidates' time Thursday night was spent criticizing Grassley over a number of issues, most notably his refusal to hold confirmation hearings on President Barack Obama's nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy.

But there were multiple moments when the Democrats touted their own resumes or were critical of their primary opponents.

Fiegen said that while the four Democrats agree Grassley must be replaced in an effort to make Congress work more efficiently, he claimed the Iowa Legislature, in which Hogg has served since 2003, is just as dysfunctional as Congress.

'When you look objectively at the Iowa Legislature the last two years, the Iowa Legislature has been as dysfunctional as Congress,” Fiegen said, claiming the body is dysfunctional in part because legislators accept donations from political organizations known as PACs. '(Hogg) is part of (Democrats') base. He's a reason we're losing.”

Hogg disagreed, saying the Iowa Legislature has not shut down like the federal government did in 2013.

Hogg struck back at Fiegen, saying candidates should 'uplift our democracy” by not engaging in such negative attacks.

Hogg, however, later criticized Judge for her role as lieutenant governor under Gov. Chet Culver in a failed 2008 bill in the Iowa Legislature that would have expanded collective bargaining rights.

Hogg then expanded that criticism by noting the Culver-Judge administration's 2010 re-election defeat to current Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds.

'I supported the expansion of collective bargaining rights. ... I know that the legislators offered the governor and lieutenant governor whatever changes they needed ... and I know that offer was refused,” said Hogg, who has been endorsed in the primary by the state's largest public employees union. 'We do not want the 2016 Senate election to be a rerun of the 2010 gubernatorial election.”

Judge responded by saying she believes Hogg may be 'not well-informed” in the collective bargaining bill discussions and that there was not much 'back-and-forth in negotiation on that particular piece of legislation.”

Hogg, speaking to reporters after the debate, disputed Judge's assessment and stood by his comments.

The candidates also went their separate ways on the issue of water quality.

Judge said she believes the issue requires serious long-term planning and funding, but she parts with the other candidates in believing a Des Moines water utility is wrong to be suing three northern counties that it charges have polluted waterways that feed into the Des Moines River.

While three candidates support a three-eighths of 1 percent sales tax increase to fund water conservation projects, Fiegen opposed that proposal and said those polluting, including farmers, should pay for water cleanup.

Hogg said as a state legislator he has brought stakeholders on all sides of the issue, including farmers and business leaders.

Krause noted the sales tax is a state issue and that he supports tying water quality to federal crop insurance funding.

The candidates will participate in one more televised debate, on Wednesday, on KCCI-TV in Des Moines.