Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate seat talk water quality, campaign finance, and other issues

DES MOINES - Four Democrats hoping to earn their party's spot on the ballot in Iowa's U.S. Senate race addressed roughly 70 people Wednesday night at a forum in one of Des Moines' bluest neighborhoods.

Current state legislator Rob Hogg, former lieutenant governor and state ag secretary Patty Judge, and former state legislators Tom Fiegen and Bob Krause participated in the forum in Des Moines' Beaverdale neighborhood. The 90-minute event was hosted by a pair of local Democratic Party organizations.

Iowa's primary election is June 7. The quartet seeks to challenge longtime Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley in November's general election.

Each of the Democratic candidates fielded 20 minutes of questions designed, moderator and liberal blog author Pat Rynard said, to address issues both within and outside their comfort zones.

Here are some highlights from each candidate, in the order they spoke Wednesday night:

TOM FIEGEN

Fiegen, who has aligned his campaign with the policies espoused by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, said he stands by criticisms he has made on social media of his fellow primary candidates. He has accused Judge and Hogg of aligning with corporate business groups whose interests compete with Democratic causes like the environment and clean, renewable energy.

Fiegen also stood by his belief that Democratic candidates should reject campaign support from well-funded political action committees known as super PACs, even if it puts a candidate at a disadvantage against Republicans.

'When Democrats take PAC money, we have divided loyalties. Then we have to choose between the money that got us there and the people. And the Bible says you can't serve two masters,” Fiegen said. 'Call it unilateral disarmament, call it what you want. We have to swear off PAC money.”

PATTY JUDGE

Judge addressed perceptions that she is too cozy with corporate agriculture. For example, she has said she does not support a lawsuit brought by a Des Moines water utility against northwest Iowa farms over river pollutants.

Judge said she acknowledges Iowa has a water quality issue, but does not believe litigation is the solution.

Judge said she supports a proposed state sales tax increase of three-eighths of a cent to fund natural resources programs, including water quality projects.

'I have said very clearly I do not believe that lawsuits between government entities is the solution to this problem,” Judge said. 'We have a problem. We need to address the problem, and we do know what we need to do: we need a long-term, solid commitment to this issue.”

BOB KRAUSE

Krause became emotional when he spoke about his desire to work on veterans' issues, saying he knows 'too many people who have been hurt by post-traumatic stress disorder and foreign wars.”

He also stressed his belief that the election's most important issue is income equality. Krause said he supports increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, and referenced studies that suggested low incomes lead to decreased student achievement, and that a $10.10 minimum wage would improve the wages of 300,000 Iowans, impacting 200,000 children.

He said people living on minimum wages are in 'survival mode” and unable to improve their livelihood.

'The first thing on the plate has to be incomes, because incomes govern everything else,” Krause said. 'Those 200,000 kids and their IQs and their test scores are more important than anything else we can do.”

ROB HOGG

Hogg, an active supporter of renewable energy policy who wrote a book titled 'America's Climate Century,” articulated his support for tax credits that support the industries, including a solar energy state tax credit that he authored.

In response to a question about previously unsuccessful Democratic candidates who were lawyers, Hogg, an attorney, drew the night's only applause line when he noted lawyers were responsible for the state Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa.

Hogg also cited his work in the Iowa Legislature as an example of how he believes government should work, drawing contrasts with the federal government.

'This is one of the key arguments I'm making here, that I am an effective legislator and I know how to get things done,” Hogg said, noting recent measures passed by the split-control Legislature like Medicaid expansion. I got something done in divided government. … That's something we need more of in government.”