Krause unlikely for Democratic Senate forum

Tonight's forum featuring the Democratic candidates for the party's U.S. Senate nomination appears to be a head-to-head matchup between Roxanne Conlin and Tom Fiegen.

A third candidate, Bob Krause of Fairfield, will not be physically present and it appears unlikely he will be able to participate at all, according to organizers of the 7:30 p.m. forum at Ballantyne Auditorium at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.

Krause had made arrangements to leave early from a business conference in Arkansas to arrive in Cedar Rapids in time for the forum, which is sponsored by League of Women Voters of Johnson County along with IowaPolitics.com, The Gazette, and Mediacom.

However, his flight was cancelled, the next flight out was overbooked and the earliest available flight will get Krause to Cedar Rapids at 11 p.m.

His absence may change the tenor of the forum given that Fiegen has indicated he plans to press the attack he made on Conlin in a forum earlier this week.

Monday, in a Des Moines Register-WHO-TV forum, Fiegen confronted Conlin, asking her how she could advocate “weaning” Grassley from his farm subsidies when she and her husband have received millions in housing tax credits.

She called his suggestion it would be difficult to go after Grassley farm subsidies when she and her husband have been the recipients of much more in tax credits “simply ridiculous.”

Fiegen told the IowaIndepentent.com he has more ammunition to fire at Conlin in tonight's forum. See the story here: http://iowaindependent.com/34947/fiegen-plans-more-attacks-on-conlin.

This morning, Fiegen sent a message via Twitter, a social message network, that he will come armed with more information on was looking for more substance than the previous forum.

Conlin “spin and sound bites not the answer to our challenges,” he tweeted.

Mediacom will use its statewide channel, MC22, to televise the candidate forum daily beginning June 1, concluding on the eve of the primary, June 7. All Mediacom video customers have access to, MC22, a basic cable channel used to televise local public affairs, sports and community events.  The public affairs program can also be seen using OnDemand at Mediacom Channel 1, beginning June 1.