The five GOP candidates running in the 4th Congressional District appealed to conservative Christian voters during their first forum in western Iowa Monday night.
Chris McGowan, state Rep. Matt Windschitl, Ryan Rhodes, Douglas Jensen and Christian Schlaefer are competing for the Republican nomination for the seat held by Rep. Randy Feenstra, who officially announced his candidacy for governor Tuesday.
They spoke at an event hosted by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, a conservative Christian group. It was held at a community center in Treynor, outside of Council Bluffs, before a group of about 100 people.
Jensen, a veteran from Silver City, said Congress is broken and lawmakers need to work together to get things done.
“I'm not talking flat tire, dented rim, broken. I'm talking about driving the car off a cliff, hitting every boulder on the way down, crashing into a fiery inferno and then sinking into the swamp of D.C., only to be covered by decades of dysfunction — rotting — putrid. That's what's getting me off the sideline,” Jensen said.
Schlaefer, a farmer and lay preacher from Lakota, said the country is at a crossroads.
“Donald Trump has done an amazing job in Washington, D.C., but the swamp that he's trying to drain is far deeper and more dangerous than any of us could have imagined,” Schlaefer said. “And if we allow Democrats, progressives, or woke ideology individuals to take control of this country again, they will turn against us with a vengeance for the great things that we've been able to accomplish.”
Candidates discuss the issues
The candidates all responded to questions about the national debt, abortion and property rights.
Former Iowa House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley admitted that the debate over using eminent domain to build a pipeline that would transport CO2 captured from ethanol plant emissions was one of the most controversial issues he dealt with in his time in the Iowa Legislature.
“Corn growers say, ‘We need this to help support our ethanol industry.’ The Farm Bureau members are saying, 'Not in my ground, not in my dirt.' That's why my caucus and I have fought tirelessly over the past four-plus years to pass legislation over to the Senate. And the Senate has not taken action until this year, and then the governor vetoed the bill that we passed," Windschitl said. "I'm not trying to denigrate my colleagues in the state Senate — they had their own reasons — but we passed private property protections."
Ryan Rhodes of Ames, who founded the Iowa Tea Party, recently stepped down as CEO of the conservative social media platform Parler. He said he approves of the current government shutdown.
"I'm glad we actually have a Congress that is finally standing against an extra $1.3 trillion of communist Obamacare, period,” Rhodes said. "The Democrats like to use all of these entitlements as something to terrify people. But you know what? There's millions of refugees and foreign people we've brought into our country on food stamps, OK?”
At the end of the night, Rhodes appeared even more fired up when telling those in attendance that being transgender should be illegal in the U.S.
“Transgenderism is evil to its core, period. It should be stopped 100%, not around the edges, all of it, period. Not allowed whatsoever in this country,” Rhodes said.
Chris McGowan touted his military experience and work with the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, where he serves as president. He said he helped the Iowa Poison Center and the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation stay in operation. The organization helps teach future doctors and provides health care to the community.
“Republicans are compassionate, caring, concerned people. We always have been. That's why we fight for life. We fight for the downtrodden — we always have and we always will,” McGowan said.
McGowan also said he plans to advocate to solve problems that would help restore families and relationships.
“You heard committed, passionate candidates tonight talk about issues that are very important to us. We also have to bring new ideas to Washington,” McGowan said. "An idea that I will be proud to champion is to end the scourge of pornography that haunts our children and our families.”
Schlaefer added that words like faith and freedom are good concepts, but not enough for a political platform.
“You have to mean something behind them. They have to translate into actual policy and that policy has to lead towards the restoration of this country," Schlaefer said. "It doesn't just need to happen in the presidency. It needs to happen at every single level because you better believe that the left is trying to do it at every single level, and if they are able to do it, they will tear this country down."
Political newcomers face a seasoned politician
Schlaefer, Rhodes, McGowan and Jensen have never served in office before.
Windschitl said his experience in the Iowa House sets him apart from the others in the race. He touted his accomplishments after winning his first election in 2007 when he was in his early 20s and following his return from active duty in Iraq.
“We've transformed Iowa. I've had a hand in helping make sure all of those good things have happened — those conservative values that we care about, that you care about, that I care about. Those are the kinds of things that we need out in Washington, D.C.,” Windschitl said. “For all the successes we've had in Iowa, we can do the same thing in Washington, D.C. But we need somebody that knows how to get the job done on day one and can figure out how to build those consensuses. I've been doing it.”
The candidates appeared to support each other as they stressed why Republicans should pick them to win the June primary.
“I have made the offer to every one of my colleagues here that no matter how this turns out, we are so invested in our country that I want us to work together to make sure they are helping one another, lifting each other up, and working to make our country better," Jensen said.
What did attendees think of the candidates?
Charity Johnson, a potential voter from Farragut, felt the forum educated her on the candidates. She said immigration, abortion and transgender issues are essential in the person she picks in the upcoming primary — almost seven months away.
“I had an open mind when I came in tonight,” Johnson said. “I liked Schlaefer, and I really like Windschitl.”
Barby James moved from Oklahoma to New Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was drawn to Iowa by the state’s politics and her partner’s family ties to the southwest Iowa town of Macedonia. She also favored Windschitl because of his legislative experience.
“When he came into office, Iowa was not red and he was part of the process to flip it from purple to very, very red. And I just feel like he would do a wonderful job in Washington,” James said. “I thought all five candidates that are running were very well spoken. I don’t think we could go wrong with any of them. They represent the values of Iowa.”
The Democrats looking to move on to the general election are former state lawmaker and prosecutor Dave Dawson of Lawton, stay-at-home mom Ashley WolfTornabane of Storm Lake and Stephanie Steiner of rural Sutherland.
