Hubbell, Vilsack, Gregg make first Newton stops of Gov’s race

June 11--Hot on the tail of last week's Primary elections, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Des Moines businessman Fred Hubbell and Republican Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg made their first campaign appearances in Newton over the weekend.

Gregg, who serves alongside Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, stopped by Friday for a meet and greet during Newton Fest while Hubbell, along with former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and two-term Iowa governor Tom Vilsack and his wife Christie, spoke with supporters Saturday at Okoboji Grill.

Tom Vilsack started the event by telling the packed room how excited he and his wife were to be there. In his view, the upcoming November election is the most important the state of Iowa has had in the past 50 years -- including his own. The former Democratic governor said he's going to be working hard to put Hubbell in the office he once held.

"What is at stake is literally the heart and soul of this state, the future of our children and grandchildren," Vilsack said. "The direction of this state in terms of jobs, funding for education, access to healthcare, concerns for the environment -- it is all heading in the wrong direction."

Vilsack set the stage for Hubbell, who continued discussing the issues at the forefront of the election after first thanking those who voted in the primary.

"We're here to thank all of you for helping the Democrats have such a big turnout on Tuesday," Hubbell said. "You all did a great job of getting voters out -- your friends, you neighbors, yourselves and giving us a record turnout for an off-year primary for Democrats."

With such high turnout, Hubbell said the Republicans were put on notice that Democrats are upset, want change and have the energy to work to get improvements they feel are needed in Iowa. He pointed to several areas of focus for his party -- currently in the minority in both chambers of Iowa General Assembly -- in the upcoming election including corporate tax credits, education, Medicaid reform, mental health, rural infrastructure and raising the minimum wage.

"We need to win this general election. We need to unite our party, it doesn't matter who people voted for along the way, we are all Democrats now." Hubbell said. "We're tired of the extreme priorities of this governor and legislature. We want to change it and bring our state back and start growing Iowa the right way."

On the Republican side, Gregg stopped by Newton Fest Friday with Jasper County Supervisor Doug Cupples to meet with community members and get to know and mingle with voters. For the lieutenant governor, Friday was a casual visit. Gregg said he likes how every Iowa community has it's own festival to celebrate its past, present and future.

"I think what it does it gives us that extra sense of community and that extra reason for folks to come back and see their friends," Gregg said.

With there was no set schedule for the visit, he said he would probably visit a local coffee shop, introduce himself to patrons and talk about key issues facing Iowans.

Greg hit the overall tone Gov. Reynolds' campaign has been setting since election night that "Gov. Reynolds story is the Iowa story." Their campaign strategy is to paint Hubbell as out of touch with everyday Iowans, mainly due to his wealth.

Gregg said Reynolds has gone through many of the challenges the average Iowan sees while promoting their record, calling Iowa the best state in the country under their administration.

Among the areas to look improve, Gregg sees rising health insurance costs as a top issue.

"Folks who are on the individual market have seen gigantic premium increases that are unsustainable," Gregg said.

He said fewer and fewer insurance providers want to come to Iowa and participate in the Obamacare health insurance exchange, and claimed Iowans are spending more on health insurance than they do on their mortgage. Gregg said this is an issue for the federal government, but he touted, under Reynolds, the state has worked to make things easier on the common Iowan.

Gregg also addressed the privatization of Medicaid during the campaign stop and how the transition is affecting people. He said the transition to managed care happened so it would become a what the administration calls a "patient-centered" approach, so the most vulnerable Iowans get the help they need. He called the old state-run system unsustainable while the new system would be easier to manage.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or [email protected]

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