I decided to do the IA CD-4 today because I want to wait until I’ve seen the Esch-Carter debate in April before I do the capsule on that race.
Tom Latham was elected to Iowa’s 5th district in 1994, but his district was redrawn in 2000 and was folded over into the fourth. While his current seat is considered much more competitive than his old seat, which had a heavily Republican bloc of voters, he has still won re-election in subsequent contests.
Latham has voted against prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation, maintaining right of habeus corpus in Death Penalty Appeals, and on deterring foreign arms transfers to China. Some things he has voted for include school vouchers, deauthorizing “critical habitats” for endangered species, restricting US funding of the UN, and for decreasing the waiting period for a gun from three days to one. He has a decidedly anti-labor voting pattern, and anti-public health voting record, and an anti-civil rights voting record.
While Latham is not facing a primary challenger this year, he is looking at 4 Democrats square in the eye. The first is Becky Greenwald, the Democratic Party Chair for Dallas County. Not only is there not a functioning campaign website for Ms. Greenwald, there isn’t a functioning website for the Dallas County Democrats either. A quick Lexus search leaves me with only stories about the other candidates, mentioning her as an afterthought. I don’t know what her policy positions are, and from taking a quick troll around Bleeding Heartland and Iowa Politics yields no new information.
Then we move into the Meyers. Well, Meyer and Meyers. Kurt Meyer and William Meyers are both running in the same primary, despite the possibility of name confusion. Kurt Meyer has worked for various nonprofit organizations for nearly 30 years, including hospitals, colleges, nursing homes, libraries, and museums.
Kurt Meyer is running on both the Economy and the Iraq war, pointing out that the two are interlaced given the amount of borrowing the US has engaged in over the last 5 years to sustain the war effort. He is for a quick orderly withdrawal of troops. He also believes that the best way to win votes is to show production in Congress. He has been telling voters that if they elect Democrats to the House, Senate, and White House, then they can expect things to get done and get done quickly.
William Meyers may have some of the best military credentials you will see in any candidate from any party. A disabled veteran of the US Marine Corps, William Meyers served as a Terrorism Specialist before sustaining a back injury. That back injury led to many conflicts between Meyers and the Federal Government over disability claims. Having lived in Austria for two years, he claims international experience on the basis that he has seen the perspectives of Europeans and how they view our country.
William Meyers is for setting a timeline for withdrawal in Iraq. He is also for universal healthcare pointing to the European model which he believes works. As you might expect, given his struggles with the government over his disabilities benefits, William Meyers is also for an expansion in the Department of Veteran Affairs, saying that “These fine young men and women, who served their country regardless of flawed politics and failed strategies, deserve the very best medical care and moral support our great country can afford.”
Kevin Miskell is also running on a quick withdrawal of troops from Iraq, national healthcare, and the economy, emphasizing the need for further development of bio-fuels.
William Meyers seems to be the strongest candidate here, and will probably win the primary on June 3. That said, the seat still leans Republican this fall, with efforts to beat Latham dependant entirely on a swing of independent voters.
Tom Latham was elected to Iowa’s 5th district in 1994, but his district was redrawn in 2000 and was folded over into the fourth. While his current seat is considered much more competitive than his old seat, which had a heavily Republican bloc of voters, he has still won re-election in subsequent contests.
Latham has voted against prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation, maintaining right of habeus corpus in Death Penalty Appeals, and on deterring foreign arms transfers to China. Some things he has voted for include school vouchers, deauthorizing “critical habitats” for endangered species, restricting US funding of the UN, and for decreasing the waiting period for a gun from three days to one. He has a decidedly anti-labor voting pattern, and anti-public health voting record, and an anti-civil rights voting record.
While Latham is not facing a primary challenger this year, he is looking at 4 Democrats square in the eye. The first is Becky Greenwald, the Democratic Party Chair for Dallas County. Not only is there not a functioning campaign website for Ms. Greenwald, there isn’t a functioning website for the Dallas County Democrats either. A quick Lexus search leaves me with only stories about the other candidates, mentioning her as an afterthought. I don’t know what her policy positions are, and from taking a quick troll around Bleeding Heartland and Iowa Politics yields no new information.
Then we move into the Meyers. Well, Meyer and Meyers. Kurt Meyer and William Meyers are both running in the same primary, despite the possibility of name confusion. Kurt Meyer has worked for various nonprofit organizations for nearly 30 years, including hospitals, colleges, nursing homes, libraries, and museums.
Kurt Meyer is running on both the Economy and the Iraq war, pointing out that the two are interlaced given the amount of borrowing the US has engaged in over the last 5 years to sustain the war effort. He is for a quick orderly withdrawal of troops. He also believes that the best way to win votes is to show production in Congress. He has been telling voters that if they elect Democrats to the House, Senate, and White House, then they can expect things to get done and get done quickly.
William Meyers may have some of the best military credentials you will see in any candidate from any party. A disabled veteran of the US Marine Corps, William Meyers served as a Terrorism Specialist before sustaining a back injury. That back injury led to many conflicts between Meyers and the Federal Government over disability claims. Having lived in Austria for two years, he claims international experience on the basis that he has seen the perspectives of Europeans and how they view our country.
William Meyers is for setting a timeline for withdrawal in Iraq. He is also for universal healthcare pointing to the European model which he believes works. As you might expect, given his struggles with the government over his disabilities benefits, William Meyers is also for an expansion in the Department of Veteran Affairs, saying that “These fine young men and women, who served their country regardless of flawed politics and failed strategies, deserve the very best medical care and moral support our great country can afford.”
Kevin Miskell is also running on a quick withdrawal of troops from Iraq, national healthcare, and the economy, emphasizing the need for further development of bio-fuels.
William Meyers seems to be the strongest candidate here, and will probably win the primary on June 3. That said, the seat still leans Republican this fall, with efforts to beat Latham dependant entirely on a swing of independent voters.
