Governor Branstad and his Democratic challenger, state senator Jack Hatch, staked out sharply different tax policies in a debate last night in Sioux City.
They also appealed directly for the votes of northwest Iowans.
The debate was broadcast locally on KTIV-TV and streamed on the internet. It had a decidely local flavor. Governor Branstad says his policies have helped keep northwest Iowa in the game compared to surrounding states. He praises his economic development chief, who hails from Sioux City.
“Debi Durham has competed with South Dakota and Nebraska successfully,” Branstad says. “This is an area where we can beat South Dakota.”
And the governor says Durham promises the state economic development board soon will approve aid for more new jobs in Woodbury County. Meanwhile Senator Hatch vows to complete the four-lane expansion of Highway 20, what he calls Branstad’s broken promise. He attacks the governor for wanting a sales tax on gasoline instead of a higher gas tax.
“Twenty percent of the gas tax comes from out-of-state travelers,” Hatch says. “That's a user fee. A sales tax is the most regressive tax in the state.”
Hatch says it was Democrats who insisted on extending the governor’s property tax cuts to small Main Street businesses. He says he’ll cut income taxes for the middle class.
“We've done a lot for corporations,” Hatch says, “but we haven't done enough for the people who work for them.”
In the heat of the moment, the senator mistakenly referred to southwest Iowa instead of northwest Iowa where the debate was happening, prompting some ridicule on social media. Hatch challenged the governor’s claims on job creation during his four years in office. He says it’s hard challenging an incumbent, but the governor says he defeated a Democratic incumbent, Chet Culver, four years ago.
