2nd Congressional District

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Election Day is three weeks away, but Iowa voters may begin casting ballots this week on Wednesday. We'll discuss the issues in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District with candidates Sarah Corkery and Ashley Hinson in this special live Iowa Press Debate. 

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For more than five decades, Iowa Press has brought you political leaders and newsmakers from across Iowa and beyond. Live from Iowa PBS Studios in Johnston, this is a special Iowa Press Debate featuring candidates in the 2nd Congressional District. Here is Moderator Kay Henderson. 

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[Henderson] For the next hour, we'll explore the views of two women who are running to represent Iowa's 2nd Congressional District. Let's take a look at the map and see what it looks like. The 2nd District encompasses 22 counties in east central and northeast Iowa. It includes the cities of Cedar Rapids, Grinnell, Mason City, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Decorah and Dubuque. The candidates are republican incumbent Ashley Hinson, a former television journalist who represented the Cedar Rapids area in the Iowa House before being elected to Congress in 2020. And democrat Sarah Corkery is a small business owner, community activist and health care advocate. This is her first campaign for public office. Welcome to you both. Thanks for being here. 

Thanks, Kay. 

Thank you. 

[Henderson] Joining our conversation, Brianne Pfannenstiel, the Chief Politics Reporter for the Des Moines Register and Erin Murphy, Bureau Chief for the Gazette in Cedar Rapids. Now, there are no time limits on your answers today. But we will ask you to be brief. We will move the conversation along because we have a lot of issues that we hear from voters and they want some answers. And also, let's just start with this first question. And, again, be brief. What is the one issue that is your top priority? And give us one sentence for voters to explain why. Ashley Hinson, we'll begin with you. 

[Hinson] Well, first of all, thank you to Iowa PBS for hosting this debate tonight. And Sarah, thank you for coming. I think what's really critical is inflation. It's what I've been hearing from Iowans as I've been out traveling those 22 counties over the last term. It is affecting every Iowa family. And you just want to be able to live your life and get ahead and have some left over for your kids, just like I do. So that is my biggest priority. 

[Henderson] Sarah Corkery?

[Corkery] First, I want to say inflation is at 2%, which is a great number. But my biggest issue is access to abortion care. I believe women should be able to have this conversation with their doctors and it should be a private medical decision like all other medical decisions. I've had cancer and I can't imagine working on my treatment plan and my doctor saying, let me check with the government. So, I believe it should be a private conversation between two people. 

[Murphy] All right, let's get into some of these issues. Ashley Hinson, we'll start with you. You have said "securing the southern border and deporting millions of illegal immigrants" is your top priority in 2025. What would that mass deportation program look like? 

[Hinson] Well, we have ten million illegal immigrants that have come across the border under our Harris border czar situation that we've had the past couple of years. It is an absolute disgrace. It is impacting families here in Iowa. I just was at a small school district. They have had several dozen new students come in that don't speak the language. We had a recent stop at a health care clinic that I was at. They have had to hire three new people just to deal with translating for these people coming into our communities even here in Iowa. Look, I think we need to deport the dangerous illegals in this country first. That should be our top priority when we're looking at this crisis affecting our country. We have hundreds of thousands of people who are here who have criminal convictions. ICE just had to put out that data within the past few weeks. So, I think that should be our top priority. Let's focus on getting these dangerous criminals out of our country. And then let's focus on making sure we're talking, after we secure our southern border, which needs to be a part of this conversation, the right amount of illegal immigration to this country should be zero and let's focus on our visa programs and taking a look at those. But we must secure the border first. 

[Murphy] But what are the logistics of that plan? Are we using the military? Are you asking local law enforcement to handle these deportations? How is this actually structured? 

[Hinson] Well, I think we would work with ICE. That is the agency that is designated to do this. They're doing it now, although they have been handicapped in doing their job by the Biden administration. They literally put out a memo in my first term three and a half years ago that said, we're going to selectively reduce these deportations. So, we need to allow and empower ICE to do their job because this is a problem that is truly affecting the American economy and American communities. Every community is a border community right now. 

[Pfannenstiel] Sarah Corkery, the Des Moines Register Iowa Poll found that immigration is a major issue of concern for Iowa voters across the state. Do you believe that the Biden administration has done a good job of handling border security? 

[Corkery] First of all, I want to say there is a problem at the border. My opponent has said democrats want an open border and that is just not true. What we do want to do is go back to the plan that republicans worked on with democrats, that was a bipartisan deal, that would have given us more border agents and they approved this bill. It would have given the presidency, whoever has it, the ability to shut the whole thing down. And who blocked that? Extreme conservative republicans blocked that bill so that Trump would not get a win before the election. People are tired of these politics. If it's a true problem and you have the solution in your hands, we need to get it done. Also, in Postville there were ICE raids and a lot of people were deported. The white-collar criminal held accountable for that went to prison. And who commuted that sentence? Former President Trump. So, he needs to be held accountable too. We know prices have gone up and that is a problem. But we also know 73% of people working in agriculture were not born here. So, we need immigrants to help us build a stronger community. If we lost all of our immigrants in Iowa, we would be in big trouble. 

[Hinson] May I respond really quick. When you look at immigration visa programs, we rely on legal pathways to come here. The H2A and H2B visa programs, which are absolutely crucial for agriculture and other sectors, that is the way we should be looking at how we get those workers and the workforce we need for Iowa agriculture in. The reason that bill didn't get a vote in the Senate and it certainly didn't stand a chance in the House is because it still allowed for up to 1.8 million, about 5,000 a day, of illegal immigrants to come into our country on asylum claims. And that is why that bill didn't stand a chance. 

[Murphy] But despite that, your republican colleague Joni Ernst called that the best chance we're going to have at meaningful immigration reform. Was that not a missed opportunity?

[Hinson] I just don't agree. I think the right amount of illegal immigration with what we've experienced in the last several years is zero. And this country has ten million illegal immigrants that have come here, more than three times the population of the state of Iowa. It's wrong. 

[Murphy] Sarah Corkery, we also wanted to ask you, Vice President Harris has said that she supports making it more difficult to gain asylum and giving residents, sorry, giving presidents more authority to close the border. Do you agree with that plan? 

[Corkery] Can you repeat the question? 

[Murphy] Sure, Vice President Harris, as part of her border policy, has said she supports making it more difficult to gain asylum and giving presidents more authority to address the border, to close the border. Do you agree with that? 

[Corkery] Yeah, I do agree with that. 

[Hinson] Well, I think it's about what are they saying is asylum? And this is exactly what we've seen happen and why we have programs that have had to be propped up now to deal with this massive influx. If they're training people on what to say when they're coming across the border, which is what the cartels are doing, I've been down there twice to hear directly from these border patrol agents, that is when the process becomes weaponized. Again, we need to focus on policies that actually work to stem this tide of illegal immigration. That is building the wall, enforcing remain in Mexico policy, ending catch and release, which by the way that bill in the Senate did not do anything to actually solve that problem, and then give our border patrol agents the resources that they need. Money is a part of this conversation. But the other part of it is the technology. It's automated surveillance towers, which is something that I've helped to deliver through my work on the appropriations committee. 

[Henderson] Sarah Corkery?

[Corkery] Could I follow up? 

[Henderson] Yes. 

[Corkery] I will just say, I've met with a lot of farmers this summer over in the county fairs and I remember one conversation in Benton County and it was a farmer who said, I'm having trouble getting hands in my field, people that help me to do this work. And he faces people that are immigrants and he's having trouble sorting out who is who as well. So, farmers need workers. Our large meat packing plants need workers. If we all of a sudden deported everybody the price of milk would go from $2 to $10. We would see massive increases in our costs because we rely on people to do a job. And today is Indigenous People Day. We remember we all, unless you are a Native American, we all came from somewhere and we are a country built on that because we know diversity brings strength. My opponent tries to vilify anybody who is different than herself. We don't have to live in fear. We can deal with facts and solve problems. But when we go to fear, what we're doing is going to the prime part of our brain that says be afraid because something is different. A quick story on that, my daughter and I are driving down the road and we both saw what we thought was a black bear. We drove closer, it was a black garbage sack. But this brain is here to protect you in some ways. That was different, be scared, that's what its job is. But we've evolved past that and we know just because people look different than us and came from somewhere else, they're not automatically bad people. And we are humans and we know building the wall has not worked. My opponent wanted to put razor water in the wire to keep people from coming. That is not pro-life. 

[Murphy] Shouldn't those farm workers be here legally though? 

[Corkery] Yes, we believe in all legal immigration. What we need to do is better, give people more funding at the border so that they can get people through quicker. We need more resources and we also need to say what has not worked. The wall has not worked. It has not fixed anything and it was on our dime. Mexico did not pay for it. So, we need to stop fear mongering and we need to start getting down to brass tacks in how we get things done. 

[Henderson] Ashley Hinson, on Sunday President, former President Trump, said he as president would hire 10,000 more border agents and give them raises and bonuses. He also said other things about immigration. Do you think he has the right plan? And why is he not focusing on building the wall anymore? 

[Hinson] Well, I think it is a combination of those things. And you look at the bill that the House did pass, HR2 last year, I think it does combine the border deterrent, which is the wall, it's a physical barrier that forces people to ports of entry. That is the point of the wall. Force these cartels so that they can't just drop off hordes of people and then sneak their drugs across, it forces them to a port of entry. It allows our agents to actually tackle these problems more directly. This is where the technology can be helpful for them too because if they're using drone technology they can track the bad guys, they can handle the crisis that they need to at that moment and then move onto the next level of importance. Look, we do need more border patrol agents, we need more ICE detention beds. We've had both of those folks before our committee and asked them those questions and they were begging for more help. The biggest question here though is how are we going to get those bodies down there to work in these places? Not everybody wants to work in law enforcement and certainly they don't want to work for CBP if the administration is not supporting them to do their job. 

[Henderson] Erin? 

[Murphy] We want to shift now to a discussion of the abortion issue. Sarah Corkery, you have said codifying Roe v. Wade is the most important domestic issue in 2024. What specifically are you proposing there? 

[Corkery] Right, I really think this should just be a conversation between a person and their doctor. Let's be clear, abortion is about power and control over women's health and many women don't even know they're pregnant at six weeks. And we also know it costs about a thousand dollar to get an abortion. We also know Iowa is the lowest in the state for OBGYN providers. They are being chased away because they don't want to be lawyers. They would rather go somewhere else where they can just be doctors. I trust women to make this decision because it's heart wrenching and serious. When I was pregnant with my son at 38 weeks, we both almost died. And so, when Ashley sent a tracker to a Christmas party and they asked me about this I leaned in, I told her the entire story about my birth with my son where we both almost died. And at 38 weeks I couldn't imagine more of a tragedy. His name was Jude. He had a big sister and a crib. And you know what, he was loved and wanted and we're glad he lived. But if he had died inside of me, he would have had to come out. And that is the real facts. And that's why we need people to talk about this and understand the complexity. That's why it should not be legislated. If you say a number of weeks, then your next question should be, is the mother's life at risk? Is there a fetal anomaly that makes this incompatible with life? These are scary, terrible things. And so, for my opponent to basically say people are having abortions up until birth and after is hurtful to those of us that almost lost our lives in child birth. 

[Murphy] And I understand that. But there's also a question of a legal structure here. So, just to be clear, what are you specifically advocating for? Is it like the Minnesota law where there effectively are no restrictions? Or is it like Roe v. Wade which basically set a legality at viability, which is around 24 to 28 weeks? 

[Corkery] I think it should just be between a person and a doctor. I'm going to push back on this because we've all talked about that one indicator. And Ron Steele interviewed me on the Steele Report and he said, Sarah, is it six weeks? Is it twelve weeks? Is it twenty? This is not a flippant conversation. And that's what it has become when we focus on one metric. And that one metric is not the end all be all. It is where this conversation has landed. And no men have lost their lives in child birth. And so that is why it should be between a doctor and a patient. And nobody should also tell you that the fetus you carry has more rights than you do. That's just wrong. And women don't like it. Abortion bans are not popular with Iowans. 60% of Iowans don't like it. More women even don't like it. I wonder why. Because it's an economic decision. Deciding when and if to have children is one of the hardest financial decisions you will ever make. And if we're worried about inflation and paying our bills, adding more children is not going to help if they're not planned. And nobody is saying abortions are great because we also know sometimes you need an abortion when you have an ectopic pregnancy that will never result in a baby. And it could go sepsis and kill you. Sarah in Decorah had three miscarriages, more at risk for ectopic pregnancy each time. And I'm proud to just say one thing, she just gave birth to baby Henry. So, that's why I think it should be between a person and a doctor. And I do think Minnesota is safer. She's glad she lives fifteen minutes from the Minnesota border. 

[Henderson] Brianne. 

[Pfannenstiel] Ashley Hinson, your colleague Congressman Zach Nunn, a republican, said that he does not support a federal abortion ban. Would you support a federal abortion ban if it looked like the six week ban that Iowa has implemented, a version of which you supported in the Iowa legislature? 

[Hinson] Well, I am pro-life and I think what my opponent just said is very extreme. I do support exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother and a fetal anomaly as well. I think being pro-life is really about doing more than that and that is what I've really been focused on in Washington, D.C. and here in Iowa we have our legislature and our Governor who took action on this issue. Out in Washington I've tried to focus on the whole of maternal health care because that's what I think this is about. So, I've been able to get resources back to help expand those birthing centers. Just visited one in Grinnell. We were able to secure in our bills that that's going to help them to deliver up to 100 babies a year. Another way we've been able to be successful is by focusing on over-the-counter birth control access. We have six counties in this district that are considered maternal health care deserts, no access to a provider. So, really this is about making sure that no matter what your zip code is that you can have that access to care. So, that's where I have really been focused. And it is a tragedy to lose a child. So, still birth prevention has been a priority for me. I've worked with Iowans to make sure we were protecting life and making sure that women have the resources and the education they need to know when they need to go see a doctor. And so, my still birth prevention bill was signed into law. It's a bipartisan bill. 408 to 3 it passed the House and was signed by President Biden this year. 

[Pfannenstiel] So, to be clear, would you support a federal abortion ban if it came before the U.S. House? 

[Hinson] No piece of legislation will get my support without including those exceptions. 

[Pfannenstiel] Well, let's talk about those exceptions. You say that those are very important to you. In January of this year, you co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act, which says that life begins at the moment of conception. If that bill were enacted, it would ban abortions without exceptions. So, where should Iowans believe you on this issue? 

[Hinson] Yeah, well that bill is about valuing life, which is my spectrum of work on this issue, which I just described. So, again, no bill will receive my vote unless it includes those exceptions and it will go through the process like any other piece of legislation. I would ensure that before I took that vote. 

[Pfannenstiel] So, if that bill came before you, you would vote no on it?

[Hinson] As it is currently, yes.

[Pfannenstiel] Then why did you decide to co-sponsor that? 

[Hinson] Because it's about valuing life and I think the most important thing here is about working with my colleagues to support a culture of life in Washington, D.C. Look, I understand not everybody is there. We need to have some protections in this country because life is valuable. I certainly don't want to support a culture of death like my opponent. That I believe is extreme and you heard her say it right here, she does not believe in having a conversation about weeks. I would always rather err on the side of protecting life and trying to save as many lives as possible and that is what I'll continue to do in Washington. 

[Corkery] Can I follow up on that? This is what I believe. I believe Ashley Hinson would rather you be dead than have an abortion because two things. She signed the Life at Conception Act, which you're correct does say no exceptions for rape, incest or life of the mother. She says she supports women, but she would rather they die than have an abortion. That's the truth. She also is a part of the republican study committee and also that said raise the retirement age, cut Social Security and Medicare and it also included a national abortion ban with no exceptions. So, she either doesn't understand what she signed or she is playing politics with women's lives. 

[Henderson] Ashley Hinson, we have some other questions, but if you'd like to respond. 

[Hinson] Yes, well you know, just because you're part of a caucus doesn't mean you agree with everything that caucus puts out. But what I think is important here is that my opponent clearly hits on a few issues that I think we'll probably be talking about tonight. Social Security, I hope we have a conversation about Social Security. My position has been clear and I've been consistent. I value life. I will continue to work on bills that help protect the spectrum of life including those exceptions, which I have been very public about supporting, and my position on that has not changed. I support exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother. 

[Corkery] Can I add one more thing?

[Murphy] No, we do need to move on, so much to get to. And this field doesn't just include a discussion about abortion specifically. A recent U.S. Supreme Court move blocked Biden administration regulations that would have required hospitals to perform abortions if they are needed to stabilize a patient's emergency medical condition. Is there a role, and Sarah Corkery we'll start with you on this, is there a role for Congress in drafting a standard of care for women having a miscarriage? 

[Corkery] No, the government needs to stay out of this. It should be a doctor and patient discussion, pure and simple. And my opponent also did finally say birth control is okay, even though she voted against the Access to Contraception Act. And the pill that she has put forward with Joni Ernst does allow pills over the counter. But guess what? It's the least effective birth control because they have put the least amount of hormones in it because there is no doctor overseeing this care. So, not only they're giving us something, she's giving us the least effective form of birth control, which again can add to pregnancies that aren't wanted. If she doesn't want abortions, we need to have more contraception. 

[Henderson] And Ashley Hinson?

[Hinson] I think states do a really good job of handling this. We have a great Iowa Medical Board here that is made up of doctors who decide what standard of care should be. What I want to see is a better liability environment for every doctor because we're struggling with getting providers here in Iowa. We talk about OBs being afraid of constant litigation. I know the state legislature took some action on that. But doctors shouldn't have to be in fear of providing a standard of care and I think that is really, really important as we move forward. 

[Murphy] But we have heard from those doctors who say they are worried about these kinds of laws too and even with those exceptions. Is that a concern? 

[Hinson] When we talk about exceptions for health of the mother, life of the mother, having a miscarriage is a medical condition. And I'm not a physician. I trust physicians to know when to intervene and know what that standard of care is. But that is where I think medical boards, like the one we have in Iowa, can decide what needs to happen for clarification there. I served in the Iowa legislature. If they came to us and said, hey we want some clarification here, let's put it in Code, I think that is the proper channel to move that forward. 

[Henderson] Sarah Corkery, IVF is very expensive. President Trump has said if he is president, he will force insurance companies to cover it or the federal government will cover it. Is that the right move? 

[Corkery] Yeah, I think IVF, we need access to IVF. And also, in the Life at Conception Act that my opponent has literally put her name on in January, it does not protect IVF. So, what she has signed doesn't. Although she says she supports it, we've got to watch what she does. It's really important what people put their name on. And you should agree with it if you put your name on it. 

[Henderson] Ashley Hinson, should the government force insurance companies to cover IVF or the federal government to pay for it? 

[Hinson] Well, I think it is a very, very expensive procedure. We need to look at what that cost would be and make sure we're having a serious conversation about that. We're $35 trillion dollars in debt in this country and we definitely want to see people be able to grow and expand their families and I'm proud to have done work to help support and expand IVF. I actually had one of my pieces of language get adopted into one of our appropriations bills this summer to look at how we're going to provide more IVF access for government employees. So, I've already done work in this space and I look forward to helping to expand and support IVF for women. 

[Henderson] Lots of questions and lots of topics. Let's move onto taxes and the economy. The Trump era tax cuts expire at the end of 2025. Ashley Hinson, do you have additions to that extension that you will seek? 

[Hinson] Well, I think what's really important to protect are our small business tax relief that we saw pass in that 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I just finished another Main Street tour on my 22-county tour last week, visited three small businesses in Waukon. Look, they're already feeling the pinch of inflation because people are not buying as much as they maybe had resources to do before. That is the reality under Biden inflation and Biden and Harris' America. So, I think it's really important that we protect Iowans from a tax increase next year because if those are allowed to expire the average Iowa family will see an increase of about 25%. That is the equivalent to about seven weeks of groceries for an Iowa family, which we all know are tough to afford anyway. So, we must do our part to protect those tax cuts next year. 

[Murphy] Sarah Corkery, should those tax cuts be extended? Or would you vote to allow those to expire and thus those tax rates to increase back to 2017 levels? 

[Corkery] Let them expire. 

[Murphy] So, which would result in a tax increase. 

[Corkery] For the rich. 

[Murphy] Well, not just the rich though. So, all those tax cuts you would vote to expire?

[Corkery] Yes. 

[Hinson] Well, I think she said the quiet part out loud here, which is the same thing that the democrats in Congress -- 

[Corkery] I don't say anything quietly.

[Hinson] This is important to consider, if you're watching this tonight and you're concerned about your bottom line at home at your kitchen table, the democrats in Congress have said we don't have a spending problem, we have a revenue problem. My philosophy is this is your money, it's not the government's money, I want to see as much of it stay with you at home as possible. 

[Pfannenstiel] Let's talk about Social Security. You've both mentioned that. Sarah Corkery, if Congress and the President do nothing, right now experts have projected that Social Security will be unable to pay out full benefits by 2035. What will you do if elected to make sure that seniors can continue receiving those benefits? 

[Corkery] I have a very simple solution and it's not my idea, it has been proposed before, but either eliminate or raise the Social Security and Medicare cap tax that is tied to payroll. So, currently if you make up to $174,000, after that, that tax ends and your paycheck actually goes up. I think those folks can continue to pay that. The reason they don't is they don't want to pay into a system without getting all their money back out of it because they'll never receive more than that back in benefits. Well, I wonder why that number just happens to be the same number as the salary my opponent makes, $174,000, because the people who wrote the bill want to be sure they get their money back. Well, I want to make sure this stays solvent. And so, we do need to make people pay more than others if they can afford more. My mom always said, life is not fair. And it's not. And if you are luxury enough to have made that much money, you can pay a little extra. I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about people who need to pay their groceries and their job is laid off or shipped to Mexico. Our union brothers and sisters who are on the picket line, that's who I'm worried about. 

[Pfannenstiel] Ashley Hinson, should we raise the retirement age for Social Security? 

[Hinson] I think the solution here relies in, first of all, stopping the fear mongering surrounding Social Security and both sides are guilty of this. I think we need to take it as a serious issue because it's serious for seniors. Their COLA is not even covering their cost-of-living increase because we've seen so much inflation in this country. So, this is a benefit that I want to protect. I will not support any cuts to Social Security going forward. I think the way we need to approach this because it has been politicized so much is to have a bipartisan commission, which has been proposed under a Budget and Ways and Means Committee, those are the two committees that actually handle this policy. We need to have them come to Congress with solutions, a whole table of solutions, and then make Congress vote it up or down. I think that is the way you take politics out of it because if we do nothing, by 2034, as you mentioned, we will see those benefits get cut by I think it's over 20%. And I know Iowans and Americans cannot afford that. 

[Corkery] I want to just jump in because also on the Republican Study Committee it says to raise the retirement age, cut Social Security and Medicare, as I mentioned, the national abortion ban. Ashley agreed to those. So, she's not telling the truth right now. 

[Henderson] Do you support raising the retirement age? 

[Hinson] I think we need to look at the whole smorgasbord of solutions. No, what I think is important here is we need to look -- someone like my age, I'm 41 years old, I am 41 years old, I need to start saving for retirement earlier. I think the solution lies in making sure that our younger people are also saving for retirement because, frankly, if we don't have millennials, the generation that is not saving money right now, if you look at the amount of money typically as a generation that they've got saved for money it's the lowest in history. So, I think we need to be having a conversation about all of those things. Again, my proposal is to look at any solution that is going to come across my desk that is going to make sure we don't see cuts to Social Security and we can preserve this benefit for years to come. 

[Henderson] Vice President Harris has proposed having Medicare pay for long-term in-home care for seniors. Ashley Hinson, as you know, most Iowans want to stay in their own home as long as possible. And we know that that is less expensive care than putting someone in a nursing home to receive care. Is that a good idea? 

[Hinson] I think it's definitely worth having a conversation about. I think when you look at, first of all, our caregivers are amazing people. They are spending hours and hours every single day taking care of other people. It's exhausting, it's back breaking work in many cases and it is really a labor of love I've heard from so many caregivers. So, I think we need to take a look at what options are available to help care for people in their own homes. I agree with you, it's less expensive. That sound good to me. If it's going to be a less expensive venture for taxpayers, I'm happy to work on a policy that is going to make sure that's delivered in a way that we can afford to do going forward. 

[Henderson] Sarah Corkery, critics of this proposal have suggested that Medicare can't handle it and it might impact other benefits like a reduction in prescription drug benefits. Is that a concern or do you support the Vice President's proposal? 

[Corkery] I support the Vice President for a very personal reason. We have a child with a disability and so he receives respite services because he is on Medicaid. He is on a waiver. And so, what we get to do is pick our own providers and employ even our relatives to take care of our son while we're out of town. And you know what, that is a win-win. So, I think that is the model the caregivers are looking at. And I was interviewed by AARP and we talked about how women take care of four generations of family, themselves, their parents, grandparents and children. So, women this impacts greatly. And they asked how can we fix this? And I say, make sure these caregivers are getting paid, quite simply, and keep them in their homes where people want to be. It costs less, it makes a lot of sense. So, we've seen this work. This is a great idea. 

[Henderson] Iowa is among the states that are suing the Biden administration regarding new rules for staffing in nursing homes. The nursing home industry says it will force some of them to close just because there's a staffing shortage. They don't have the people available to hire. Is that a concern? 

[Corkery] Yeah, we need to pay those folks more. Some of them are still operating at the ratios under emergency systems back in the pandemic. And the people doing the job tell me, this is too hard, we need more people to help us, these ratios are wrong. And so, they are wanting to leave this industry. So, we need to pay them more, work on retention, work on making sure we incent companies to help. But really it needs to be solved in that way. 

[Murphy] How do we pay them more without raising the cost for families? 

[Corkery] Well, I think we need to look at the minimum wage that hasn't been touched in a long time. We know minimum wage is $7.25. But everywhere you go the shops all say $15, $16, $17 an hour. So, would you rather work at McDonald's or be a caregiver? If you can make more money at McDonald's you'll probably do that. So, we need to find ways to pay them more to keep them in there because we know our aging population is just going to grow and grow and they need to be taken care of because they deserve it, that have earned it. 

[Henderson] Ashley Hinson, what are your thoughts on the nursing home conundrum?

[Hinson] This is another example of a one size fits all policy that didn't take into account the situation like what we have here in Iowa. We've got a lot of these rural health care providers and rural nursing homes that are struggling to recruit talent and keep people employed. And what I don't want to see happen is a rule like this that puts them out of business and then where are those people going to go? I worry about the kind of down the river when this is implemented? What is this actually going to mean for these, in some cases small business owners who are running these operations? So, I think we need to be very deliberate about it. I think it comes down to the worker pipeline. So, that is why a lot of the work I've done in Washington is focused on getting more caregivers in the pipeline, making sure we're incentivizing work-based learning, making sure people have educational options that can turn out people for the workforce. Our health care heroes got a lot of burnout in the last couple of years during COVID. So, we need to make sure we're providing the education and the tools necessary to make them want to work in the field again. 

[Henderson] Sarah Corkery, let's turn to foreign policy. The U.S. is sending weaponry and humanitarian aid and personnel to Israel. Should that continue?

[Corkery] I think it needs to be looked at. So, we know that the situation in Israel is quite complicated. We know anything involving religion and land is going to be. So, we need to make sure while we support Israel, we might not support what its current leadership is doing. So, we need to at the end of the day make sure aid gets to people, innocent women and victims and children, because that's the right thing to do. We should focus on that and help with some ways to find a two-state solution there and have really smart negotiators go in and help. Like I said, it's not going to be solved overnight. This has been going on a long time. But should we send aid? Yes. Making sure people can defend themselves and making sure it's going towards women and children and innocent lives, yes. 

[Henderson] Ashley Hinson, the Biden administration is not only sending a weapons system, but they're sending personnel into Israel. Is that the right move? 

[Hinson] Well, Israel absolutely has every right to defend itself and I think we're taking a defensive posture there. That is defensive anti-rocket equipment. So, I think that is a key differentiator here. They're not escalating, that is so that they can defend themselves. And I think when you look at Hamas and Hezbollah and the Houthis, these terrorist organizations that are funded by Iran, we are in this position because of the Biden administration's failures on foreign policy. Under the Trump administration we saw great progress because of the Abraham Accords. I actually had a chance to travel to Israel about two years ago. I was actually there when Russia invaded Ukraine, so talk about foreign policy kind of intersecting while I was there. But we actually traveled to Ramallah and met with the Palestinian leadership as well. They do not want a two-state solution because they are still intent on destroying Israel. Hamas broke that cease fire last October 7th and I think Israel has every right to be able to continue to defend itself. And we need to eradicate these terrorist organizations that are, again, funded by Iran, fueled by $6 billion that this administration unfroze. We know the money is fungible and we can tell how they're using it. 

[Murphy] Ashley Hinson, there is a sizeable portion in your party that is ready to cut off aid to Ukraine and its defense in its war against Russia. Are you ready to close the door and whittle down that support? 

[Hinson] I wish we were never in this situation to begin with. I have voted for some aid. I voted against other packages. My biggest concern with this is I don't want to see American boys and girls go in to go fight Russia in Ukraine. I want to deter that as much as we possibly can. I have a thirteen-year-old boy. I think about what's going to be happening in the next couple of years and could he end up in a war? And so, it's going to be everything I can do possible to deter that war. I think we're in this position, again, because of President Biden's weakness on the global stage. Vladimir Putin is a thug and he cannot be allowed to win this war. So, I'm hopeful that President Trump can come in and put an end to this war through a negotiation process so Congress doesn't have to spend any more taxpayer money to fight that war over there. 

[Corkery] Can I jump in here? 

[Murphy] Well yeah, but I was going to ask, and feel free to add to it, do you feel that there should be any constraints on aid to Ukraine? Or should the U.S be in unconditional support there? 

[Corkery] No, it should be for defense. And I want to point this out, Ashley has called me a rubber stamper. And I take offense to that because I have never held public office. It doesn't make sense. I've never rubber stamped anything. And if anything, I'm not bought and sold by either party. We didn't receive much money from the Democratic Party because they focus on other regions this year and we knew that. But we are fighting anyway. And I'm not a rubber stamper. Ashley actually sent money to Ukraine because she has never voted against her party and when they told her to do that, she did. And if you want to meet a candidate who got mad about that, Jody Puffett. She should be at this debate right now but she didn't meet the criteria, but she is an independent in this race and her number one reason was because Ashley finally broke down and sent money to Ukraine and she thinks we should solve all our American problems first. Well, I disagree. I'm glad we sent money to Ukraine. But if you like that idea, go check out Jody Puffett. 

[Pfannenstiel] I want to move us along. After the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas bipartisan majorities in Congress passed some gun control measures. Ashley Hinson, you voted against the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. You said you had concerns about due process. Are there any gun control measures specifically that you would support?

[Hinson] I'm signed onto a few of them. I'd love to talk about those. When you look at making sure we look at the root of this problem, you cannot legislate away hate. I think very clearly people who wake up with creating this chaos and killing their fellow students, that is mental illness and we need to look at the root of that problem as well. So, I'm focused on making sure law enforcement have the tools that they need to actually control, have better communication, making sure those dollars are getting to schools so that they can be hardened, making sure that we're keeping guns out of the hands that shouldn't have them. The Stop II Act is what I would point people to as a good example of a piece of legislation that I think focuses on that. We have a background check law in place already. That wouldn't have stopped and nothing in that bill would have actually stopped the shooter in Uvalde from getting the weapons that he had. So again, no law is going to deter people who have hate in their mind from actually going to a school and perpetrating these terrible crimes. But what we can do is making sure we're getting the resources to our schools. I've signed onto the Kids Care Act, actually it passed as part of a bigger package of bills a couple of years ago. But that is specifically aimed at getting resources to our juvenile offenders so that we make sure we're targeting them where they are so that they don't reoffend and get on a path to a place where they are going to be perpetrating violence. So, those are the places where I'm focused on policy decisions. 

[Pfannenstiel] So, separate from funding for mental health or school safety, are there measures focused specifically on guns that you could see yourself supporting?

[Hinson] I think we need to be very careful about this because I'm not going to demonize legal gun owners. And they continually get demonized in this conversation. Kamala Harris supports a gun buyback program. I'm sure my opponent supports that as well. I think that's wrong and I think that is the wrong policy. I think we need to focus on the root of this problem, which is making sure our schools are safe. I put my kids on the school bus every single day. I want every kid to have a school that is safe and have a good education. And I think that is where we need to focus our efforts is on making sure that we're looking at the root of the problem, which is mental health. 

[Henderson] Brianne? 

[Corkery] Can I jump in? 

[Henderson] Brianne has a question. 

[Pfannenstiel] We've got a question for you on this same issue. Some jurisdictions have begun charging the parents of mass shooters. Do you believe that is an approach that could work on this issue? 

[Corkery] Yes, yes. And I want to say, on guns we can do something. It made me very angry when she said there's nothing, we can do to legislate away this type of hate. And I thought yes, you are the exact person who is supposed to be doing something. And she should have voted for the bipartisan Safer Communities bill because that would have given more mental aid support in our schools. And she also mentioned her bus driver who takes her kids to school. Well, I've got a friend named Rick Niemeyer who drove her kids to school on the bus and he sat at Kirkwood Community College with his hand in the air for over half an hour and Ashley refused to take his question. So, I've started to call her Absent Ashley because she tours around 22 counties but democrats cannot get in front of this lady. I have tried and we get about two hours’ notice to where she'll be and then they stack the room and only take questions from those that they want to. It's not right. If you represent northeast Iowa, you represent all 800,000. I went to the Club 45 club in Decorah and I met with republicans because I know if I'm elected, when I'm elected, we're going to represent all and we're going to bring joy to this conversation and that is what people like. 

[Hinson] May I respond briefly?

[Henderson] Yes.

[Hinson] I've done 42 in-person public town halls since I took office. I do a weekly press call with many of you. By the way, I don't screen those questions at my town halls. I answer questions from everybody. I had a Hamas protestor in the front row of my town hall in Dubuque and I answered his question. 

[Corkery] What about Rick Niemeyer?

[Hinson] So I have public notice for all of my town halls. They go out in my newsletter. If you don't follow my newsletter, I encourage you to, because I will continue to do public town halls and events. I think accessibility and transparency is what I have really prioritized as the Congresswoman of this district and I have done more than, including those town halls, 450 stops in the district since I took office. 

[Henderson] Erin? 

[Murphy] Again, we need to move on. 

[Corkery] I just want to say, Ashley voted against the bipartisan infrastructure project and then she takes credit for it.

[Henderson] We know. 

[Corkery] If we can't trust her with bridges, we cannot trust her with our lives. 

[Murphy] We need to move on. We want to talk about education. Sarah Corkery, I wanted to ask you, you have been very critical of the level of state funding here in Iowa for public schools and the state's private school systems program. Why have you centered your campaign for Congress on what are local issues? 

[Corkery] I have two really great answers to that. First, I live in Iowa. I'm proud to live here. I pay my taxes here. My kids go to public school, including my kid with a disability. Thank God for the Americans with Disabilities Act because he has gotten a great public education. But what I don't like is that at a state level we're only funding schools at about 2.5%. We have fallen way, way behind and it makes me mad that we have $2 billion of surplus in Iowa. And my second reason is called Project 2025. I believe that is the republican playbook, even though my opponent denies it. And the number one thing they say is get rid of the Department of Education. So, it is a federal issue if they're going to get rid of the Department of Education and possibly the Americans with Disabilities Act. Project 2025 is called everybody is out for yourself, good luck, no safety nets, even taking away farm subsidies and farm insurance. My opponent denies knowing anything of this. But it's a 900-page playbook that has been handed to Trump and been handed to my opponent and they intend to use it. She's slippery on her words, but watch what she does. 

[Murphy] So, is there anything as far as federal policy that you're advocating for -- 

[Corkery] Keep the Americans with Disabilities Act, keep the Department of Education. Please? 

[Murphy] Ashley Hinson, first would you like to respond to any of that? 

[Hinson] Sure. I think it's interesting we only started hearing about Project 2025 after President Biden's totally disastrous debate back in June. Look, my focus for next year is going to be on the issues that I've heard from Iowans at those 450 stops about. You talk about ag policy. I hope we have a conversation about that. I'm the candidate at this table who is endorsed by Iowa Farm Bureau and Iowa Corn. So, the farmers in this state are behind me. We need to get the Farm Bill done. That's a priority for me after the election. I just actually led 140 of my colleagues in a letter to our House leadership to try to get that bill across the floor. That is a bipartisan bill. We need to move forward on that. My opponent seems to not be listening to what I'm saying here, but I'm a huge supporter of agriculture. You talk about a dairy farm, the Robert Horst Dairy, I just was there a few weeks ago hearing about the challenges that our dairy farmers are facing. Right now, our corn prices and our bean prices, less than $4, less than $10. They're not even breaking even on those prices. So, as they're out harvesting right now, we're going to do everything we can to continue to focus on supporting those priorities. 

[Murphy] Ashley Hinson, you have criticized Linn-Mar school policy to support transgender students. We know from data that transgender youth are two to two and a half times more likely to suffer from depression or commit suicide. What do you say to Iowa transgender students who feel unsafe at school or their parents who send those students to school and worry about them? 

[Hinson] I want every child to have a safe place to go to school and my criticism of the school board and those policies was that they shut parents out. That was my concern with that is they are saying as a parent, and I have two boys in that public school district, they're saying okay, well you have to sign this permission slip for your kid to take Tylenol at school but we're going to pass a policy that allows them to change their gender at school at age 12 and not tell the parents about it. And I thought that was wrong. I think parents should be in the driver's seat of kids' education. That is why in Washington, D.C. what I've prioritized for education is the Parent's Bill of Rights. It's five provisions that make sure parents are in that driver's seat and know what their kids are learning about at school. When it comes to the Department of Ed, you bet there's some concerns there. Any person who has a child who is college age or going into college, look at the disastrous rollout of the FAFSA program this year. People have not gotten the college aid they need as a result of that, not to mention the Department of Ed under this administration is trying to erase girls’ sports under Title IX. I think that is wrong and that is where I think my pushback comes on those types of policies. 

[Murphy] Do you want to see the Department of Education shuttered? 

[Hinson] I think there are some serious questions. I think we don't need to shut them down -- I don't think we need to shut them down. I think we need to haul them before our committees and ask them serious questions about their absolute failures. At the end of the day, what I want to make sure is happening is that kids in this school district that my kids are in and around the country get the best education possible. That's why I do support educational choice because you look at many of these school districts and Iowa is pretty lucky, we have great schools here in Iowa, we have great public schools, but this is about choices for parents and, again, making sure they're in the driver's seat. Education is the great equalizer and I want to make sure everybody has that opportunity. 

[Henderson] Sarah Corkery, a carbon capture pipeline is proposed to -- 

[Corkery] Can I respond on that really quick? We are not number one in education, but we need to go back to number one. We are not number one. We need to go back to being number one in education. Thank you for letting me get that in.

[Henderson] A carbon capture pipeline is going to be proposed to run through your district. Is that a project you support? 

[Corkery] Absolutely not. 

[Henderson] Why not?

[Corkery] I believe eminent domain should be used for public good and I don't think this is for public good, this is for corporate greed. At a state level, we can decide if we have them and where they go. At a federal level, we can have conversations around safety. And I talked to farmers where these pipes are going to go through and they're worried about the rocks that come up every spring and those rocks busting one of those pipes and leaking that. And if it's near a school, there's no oxygen. Cars won't run. This is dangerous. And they can't buy insurance to even help themselves if a disaster happens. So, Iowans do not like it. So, I do not support it. 

[Henderson] Ashley Hinson, do you support the project and the tax credits at the federal level that are sort of fueling this? 

[Hinson] Well, I think when you look at the tax credits specifically, my focus in D.C. has been on making sure that we have innovation in the energy sector and that is really what the federal role is here is to look at, for instance, the 45Z and 45Q tax credits. They are also used for enhanced oil recovery in Texas. So, I want to make sure that we're giving opportunities for people to produce energy, all of the above and all of the below. And that is my approach to energy production. Look, I am leery of eminent domain. I don't like it. I think we absolutely need to have a conversation and that is happening at the state level right now about what protections may be needed going forward. I think it's not a black and white issue with this case because you're hearing from people who are concerned, rightfully so, about their land and protecting their most valuable asset. But then when we talk about, as I mentioned earlier Erin, the corn prices that are at less than $4 right now. If you look at where things are going, I want to make sure that our producers actually have a market. If we have an administration like this one where they haven't prioritized trade and we don't have those new markets emerging, I want to make sure that we do everything we can at the federal level to preserve that. That's why I continue to focus on year-round E15. I think that is the way we help support the industry. 

[Pfannenstiel] Ashley Hinson, you voted after the 2020 election to certify the results in Congress. If Donald Trump were not elected, would you still vote to certify the election in 2024? 

[Hinson] Yes. I think it's important that we do our job as members of Congress and I think Iowans rightly have some questions and I've heard from so many of them about election integrity. And that is important that we have those conversations. I think we've done a really good job here in Iowa of making sure that it is easy to vote and hard to cheat. I support voter ID. I think that is a great policy. Democrats in Congress in my first term tried to outlaw voter ID in their legislation under Speaker Pelosi. I think that is the wrong policy. We need to make sure that Americans can trust in their elections and trust that the outcome of those elections is fair. 

[Pfannenstiel] Sarah Corkery, if democrats lose this election, what will you tell your supporters?

[Corkery] I will say be kind, be kind, because we have to find a way forward and we need to find some common ground. And me going to the Club 45 was a start. We didn't agree with each other, but I came in and said, I'm not here to change your mind, I'm here to listen. And that is the first step. I have not seen my opponent go to any democratic office and have that conversation. 

[Henderson] There is a proposal that is sort of working its way through the court system regarding TikTok. Sarah Corkery, should TikTok be banned in America?

[Corkery] No.

[Henderson] Why not? 

[Corkery] I think if you're going to vilify one, you need to vilify all. We all know social media is bad for our young children, that it hits their dopamine brains. But the data gathered in TikTok is not going to be used from China to cause harm, it's just not. Again, it's a fear tactic. We've asked them to diversify their ownership. We'll see if they do. But I believe currently it will end in January if they don't follow through. I think that's the wrong choice. It is free speech. It's a fun platform. And I say this, TikTok is a mirror. If you open it up and look at something, you don't see what you like, that's on you. I see puppies and kittens and that's what it's for. It's an algorithm. It's new and innovative and I think we need to be a part of these conversations, not block people from accessing things. 

[Henderson] Ashley Hinson, what is your view on TikTok?

[Hinson] China is dangerous. The CCP is very, very dangerous and is a very real threat to the United States. And that is why you saw such a bipartisan vote on that is because members of Congress who have access to that information about the real threats coming from China, seeing TikTok as the mechanism for them to spy, it's like a spy balloon on 200 million American phones. When we look at what is at stake it's not just the algorithm, they're showing us different videos than what the Chinese kids are seeing, I can tell you that. But what it comes down to is look how quickly they weaponized that platform. The second we put that bill out in Congress they put a requirement that you had to call your representative in order to be able to sign in. So, my office, and I actually got on the phone and started taking questions from people as they were calling in. Imagine if they used to that weaponize on Election Day and say elections have been canceled. A lot of people look to social media platforms for their news these days. So, what if they take that very, very seriously? So, I think that is what is at stake here is this is a very real threat. We need to eliminate that threat. And if they divest from the CCP, from the Chinese-owned company, or Chinese-connected company, then this won't be an issue and people can continue to watch their dogs and their cats on TikTok.

[Murphy] Ashley Hinson, I wanted to ask you something. You raised a concern about the postal delivery during a recent House hearing. We're coming up on election. Four years ago, a lot of people voted by mail during the pandemic. Can Iowans depend on the Postal Service to deliver their absentee ballots on time? 

[Hinson] I believe so and I would encourage everybody if you can go watch that hearing, we had Postmaster General DeJoy before us a few weeks ago. That was actually my idea. I had seen a news story about potential delays in mail. He stressed, get your ballots in the mail seven days before they need to get back. And I think that is really critical. Every state has a different law of what that absentee deadline is. Obviously absentee voting starts here in Iowa this week. Ballots will be mailed out I think Wednesday I think it is and we just need to make sure if you're going to vote absentee, get it in the mail as soon as you can because you need to account for about seven days to get it to the auditor's office. 

[Murphy] Sarah Corkery, small businesses also say they can't necessarily depend on the Postal Service anymore. What is Congress' role in all of this? 

[Corkery] We need to fully fund the Post Office. I stood on a line the other day with my union friends that work at the Post Office and we need more resources. What they're trying to do is say it's fine if mail goes slower in the country than the city and we know that's not okay. People rely on mail for their medication, for their voting. So, we need to strengthen this and trust them to do their job. I believe others are trying to reduce their resources to make it harder. We need to make it easier. And you know what we should be afraid of in this state? Cancer. We have the second highest cancer incident rate in the nation and the only state with an increasing rate. I've had breast cancer twice. I wore this today on purpose. It's breast cancer awareness month. And my opponent does not support people who have cancer. I begged her to sign the metastatic breast cancer access to care act for my friend Cassie Beal and she said no. She said, it's too expensive. If I start helping people with breast cancer, I might have to help others with cancer and I don't want to. That is not somebody that should be representing northeast Iowa when we know we have a cancer problem, we know our water is not clean, we know we need to do better because we want people to live here and move back. And I don't know if my kids want to live here if we have such a high cancer incidence. So, I wonder what she has to say about that? 

[Henderson] Ashley Hinson?

[Hinson] Absolutely. I would be on that bill whether you had asked me to or not and I am a co-sponsor of that bill. And with every piece of legislation, I go through a process in my office to take a look at the merits of a bill, the price tag of a bill, because that is what taxpayers sent me there to do is to look at potential costs and potential impact. When you're talking about, we had a robust conversation about Social Security, we're talking about insolvency of that program, when you look at the pot of benefits there any time you add a covered condition it can impact the full body of available benefits. So, I just want to make sure everything that I do I go through that judicious process because I do believe in helping people and I want to make sure that we do it the right way and a responsible way. 

[Corkery] I just have one question. Why did she sign it on the day I joined this race?

[Hinson] The most important thing here, and we are in breast cancer awareness month -- 

[Corkery] Why did you sign it the day I entered this race? 

[Hinson] I just scheduled my mammogram for, actually I'm going to go on Election Day because I've got to get it done too. So, I'm focused on prevention and I think it's everybody knows someone who has experienced breast cancer. I have personal friends who have experienced breast cancer. And what we need to be focusing on is preventative care. So, I have co-sponsored legislation as well to help support mammography vans. I just toured one. Gundersen Health Clinic has one that was over in Lansing. So, talk about making sure those resources are going to place in rural -- Lansing is a very small community right on the Mississippi River and so making sure that women no matter what their zip code is can access that preventative care is a priority. 

[Henderson] I want to ask about the Farm Bill. You mentioned cancer rates. Ryan Melton, who is also a democrat running in the 4th Congressional District, says the Farm Bill should be refashioned to address the amount of farm chemicals that are being applied to land. Do you agree? 

[Corkery] Yeah, I don't think we need to tell farmers on how to do their jobs. But I think we need to all agree on the end result and we need to reduce chemicals. So, smarter technology that doesn't spray them near water is happening. We need to do more of that. We're losing our topsoil at record speeds. It took us 10,000 years to build this up. At our current rate, the allowable rate of soil erosion is five tons per acre per year. At that rate northwest Iowa won't have topsoil in 100 years and northeast Iowa will not have topsoil in 50 years. This is serious. We need to tie farm subsidies to making sure we improve our climate. And we all agree, farmers want clean water and dirt too. So, we need to work together. But yes, I do agree. 

[Henderson] We haven't much time left. But Ashley Hinson, in regards to the Farm Bill, the House Ag Committee passed a bill that includes a $30 billion dollar cut to SNAP. Do you support that? 

[Hinson] It's not a cut, first and foremost, I think that has been some misconceptions about that. We saw with the thrifty food plan and how that pricing was set up a few years ago, the adjustment was made and it was I would say off kilter. So, I think what we're trying to do is make sure not only are those benefits -- because I support SNAP, it's a very important program. I just recently was at the HACAP food reservoir talking about how we make sure we get this Farm Bill across the finish line because it does still support SNAP. It's really crucial that we get people the benefits they need and I will continue to support the SNAP program. You talk about the Farm Bill. My PRECISE Act is included in the Farm Bill. That is a bill that would actually focus on precision agriculture equipment and making sure more farmers can get that. That is my legislation included in this Farm Bill. And my Drought and Land Stewardship bill is focused on flood resiliency and drought resiliency. We experience both here in Iowa. So, my language is included in the Farm Bill. I'm advocating to get it across the finish line and it is a bipartisan bill in the House. I hope we can bring it to the floor soon. 

[Henderson] We have just two minutes left. I'll give you each a last minute. Congress doesn't really seem to a lot of observers to be a great place to be right now. Sarah Corkery, why do you want to be a member of Congress? 

[Corkery] Because I have almost died twice and I quit my corporate job to pursue this because I think we can create policy changes that help people's lives. So, specifically my opponent is bought and sold by her party and the NRA. I'm not. I will be holden to the 800,000 people and my thoughts on what we can do to make this a better world. I really think this. We are all just put on Earth to make it a little better for each other and a little easier and we need to bring joy back this conversation so people aren't tired of the conversation and we can get work done. When I was at corporate America, I underspent my budget by a million dollars the last two years. I know how to pinch a penny. I'm not your typical democrat. I'm more moderate. This is your chance independents and moderates to vote in somebody that will represent you and that's me. 

[Henderson] Ashley Hinson?

[Hinson] Well, thank you again for hosting the debate tonight. I appreciate the robust conversation we've had. Look, I want to go back because I value taxpayers, I value rural America and I want to keep fighting for safety and security in our communities. And there is a lot of chaos and dysfunction in Washington, D.C. right now. There are times I go back up to my office and I'm like ugh, what next? So, I like the fight, I like making sure that I'm at the table for Iowans. And I think there is so much more to do to protect the way of life we have in the United States and here in Iowa. We're so lucky to be Iowans. Again, I got into this fight for two reasons. I'm mom to Max and Jax and I'll keep fighting for them and for every Iowa family. The Biden Harris agenda has been tough on American families the last four years. We certainly cannot afford four more years of it. And I will continue to push back on policies that are taking our country in the wrong direction while working with anyone. Bipartisanship and balance is how we get things done. 

[Henderson] Thanks to both of you for being here this evening. This is, by the way, the first of two Iowa Press Debates on Iowa PBS. Next Monday, October 21st, we'll question the candidates in Iowa's 1st Congressional District, democrat Christina Bohannan and republican incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks. You can watch that live at 8pm on air and online. And if you missed any of tonight's debate you can watch it online at iowapbs.org. For the entire crew here at Iowa PBS, thanks for watching. 

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