By Mitch McAndrew
A day after a particularly contentious presidential debate, Iowa voters were pleased to see a debate full of civility — and even agreement — in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.
Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, and Republican challenger Chris Peters found several areas of common ground on a wide range of policy topics at a public forum in the Coralville Public Library, 1401 Fifth St., on Monday morning.
“Both candidates seemed prepared and knowledgeable about Congress, and there was a really high level of civility,” said Linda Meloy, a member of the Johnson County chapter of League of Women Voters, the nonpartisan organization that cosponsored the forum.
Voters interviewed by The Daily Iowan said they were surprised at the large amount of agreement between the two candidates.
“They agreed much more than I expected,” said Jean Clark of Muscatine. “I figured there would be a lot more contrast between them.”
Peters and Loebsack both said the health-care industry needs to be more competitive, and neither supported the use of eminent domain for the construction for the Dakota Access Pipeline, stances that voters said highlighted each candidate’s centrist tendencies.
Peters also said that he “wouldn’t necessarily repeal Obamacare,” making him the only federal Republican candidate in Iowa who does not outright oppose the 2010 health-care law.
“[Peters] took some stances that I wouldn’t expect from his party,” Clark said.
Earlier Monday morning, Peters took another stance that showed his willingness to stray from the party line when he announced that he would not support his party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump, on account of the racy 2005 comments the Trump made that surfaced over the weekend.
The announcement makes Peters Iowa’s first federal candidate to disavow her or his party’s nominee.
Until this point, Peters had declined to endorse a presidential candidate, saying that too much emphasis has been placed on the top of the ticket.
“Neither Clinton nor Trump have exhibited the character and judgment necessary to be president, and I cannot vote for either of them,” Peters wrote in a column released on his campaign website Monday morning.
The Coralville thoracic surgeon cited what he called a lack of understanding on the key issues, as well as the real-estate mogul’s “Trump tapes” as his reasons for withholding his support.
“Trump’s behavior and temperament are only a part of the problem. He has repeatedly demonstrated a poor grasp of constitutionalism, civil rights, the rule of law, the role of diplomacy versus military interventionism, and even fundamental economics,” Peters’ statement said. “I should have spoken out against him much earlier and regret that I failed to do so.”
Peters told the DI that his decision to stay silent on the presidential race came from his desire to focus on the 2nd District, and that although he had always “hoped [the nominee] would be someone else,” Trump’s recent comments were the final straw.
While Peters said he would not vote for his party’s presidential nominee, he also declined to support Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.
“I continue to believe that Hillary Clinton is a similarly flawed candidate,” he said. “Like many Americans, I believe she is insincere, manipulative, and untrustworthy.
“I wouldn’t hire [Trump] to work in our clinic,” Peters said during the debate, referring to a local surgery clinic he operates. “So I won’t support him for president.”
Longtime Johnson County voter Gaylin Wobeter, also a member of the League of Women Voters, said the forum was a good chance for her to learn more about Peters, a candidate she said remained largely unknown in the district.
“I didn’t know anything about Dr. Peters before this event,” she said. “He seems very knowledgeable on the issues.”
Jack Young, an Iowa City resident and former Iowa House candidate, said Peters’ biggest challenge will be name recognition.
“It’s always difficult for a newcomer, especially in a district this size,” he said. “It’s an extremely diverse district, and it’s also hard to get any recognition. Forums like this one are good for that.”
But for all the common views, there were of course some differences between Loebsack and Peters, most notably on rising college tuition.
Loebsack said that the actual tuition costs are solely in the hands of higher-learning institutions, and he came out in full support of expanding federal loan programs, saying they were the reason for his success.
Peters said such programs are the very things causing high tuition costs, and he called it an “economic truism” that subsidizing something makes it cost more.
The two candidates will meet again on Friday, when they debate in Johnston at the Iowa Public Radio studios.
