A debate between Governor Branstad and his Democratic challenger Jack Hatch in Burlington was billed as a discussion about job creation. But Hatch made sure he got in other licks.
It was a local affair moderated by the Burlington Hawkeye, and KWQC-TV’s Gary Metevier.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our candidates . Governor Branstad and democratic state senator Jack Hatch,” Metevier said to loud applause. It was supposed to be the only applause under the rules of the debate But Senator Hatch who’s trailing badly in the polls went on the offensive. Governor Branstad bristled. And the moderator briefly lost control. Hatch repeated his claim that the Branstad administration is the most scandal-ridden in history.
“Beginning with the workforce development offices that he closed that the Iowa Supreme Court said was unconstitutional. Then the Iowa juvenile home that he closed, the district court said that’s unconstitutional,” Hatch said.
But the governor fired back.
“Anybody can file a lawsuit,” he said. “Those attacks are false. I’m back in office because the people of Iowa trust me, they know me.”
Vigourous applause followed. Metevier intervened. “ I will remind the audience please do not applaud till the end of our debate so we can continue moving forward,” he said.
Moderators did put most of the emphasis on jobs. Hatch tried to appeal to the southeast Iowa crowd by saying he’ll attract jobs like Governor Tom Vilsack of nearby Mount Pleasant did.
“ In small business I want to return to Tom Vilsack’s southeast Iowa vision when he brought in Siemens and Anheuser Busch in Mount Pleasant, and he widened Highway 34,” Hatch said.
Hatch criticized Branstad’s 110 million dollar tax incentive package to attract a new fertilizer plant to the area. The governor said that doesn’t make sense.
“You can't be against the incentives and for the jobs,” he said.
Locals who showed up were mixed on how big a boon the new fertilizer plant is. John Schultz who runs a small manufacturing firm in Burlington applauds the construction jobs the billion dollar plant has generated.
“I think there are two thousand people working down there,” he said.
But But Gary Decker of Fort Madison, a corrections officer, says he doesn’t know anyone who’s working at the plant.
“Not personally but I know a lot of them are from out of state so it’s not actually promoting local jobs,” he said.
Afterwards, reporters asked Senator Hatch how he thought he did.
“I’m probably the last person to answer that but I think we did pretty well. I was able to get my points out,” he said.
But some say it will take a knockout punch for Hatch to collapse the Governor’s lead in the polls.