By The Iowa Statesman
Every day, we read through our email inbox in order to present you with the information from the political press releases that are most pertinent to you.
Short disclaimer: not all candidates send out press releases to us, so if your favorite isn’t showing up here, don’t get mad at us. We have told them all that we’d be more than happy to publish their releases. Also, we only make minor edits to clean up grammar and punctuation; the language and tone come directly from the campaigns themselves.
So, let’s rifle through today’s Morning Dump …
Wheeler announces pro-life rally during Branstad visit
Iowa House District Four Republican candidate Skyler Wheeler is encouraging local residents concerned about the state funding for Planned Parenthood to attend a protest and prayer gathering on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at the Sioux County Courthouse at 8:15 a.m.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has refused to keep his promise of defunding the abortion services provider. Gov. Branstad cites a possible legal fight as one of his reasons to continue funding Planned Parenthood.
“Does Governor Branstad really believe that a liberal attorney general like Tom Miller is going to tell him the truth regarding the law when it comes to defunding Planned Parenthood?” asked Wheeler. “What legal case could possibly be made to justify the public subsidization of an organization that is in the business of killing unborn babies and turning around to sell those aborted baby body parts?”
In a 2010 debate Gov. Branstad said the state should not be funding groups like Planned Parenthood. Yet five years later he says he is powerless to do anything about the public funding of Planned Parenthood.
“Saying things to get elected and then doing the opposite is not just a problem in Washington, D.C.,” Wheeler said. “I find it hard to believe a six-term Republican governor in a state that has just one Democrat representative at the federal level doesn’t have the political leverage to defund Planned Parenthood and keep his promise. I find it even more difficult to believe a six-term governor simply lacks the courage to do the right thing.
“Life begins at conception. There is not a science textbook in the world that says otherwise. I often ask my friends who are pregnant if they’re having a boy or a girl — not if they’re having a baby. Supporting abortion is unconscionable for me. Funding and defending Planned Parenthood is indefensible.”
Wheeler, 22, lives in Orange City with his wife Jess. He is the first candidate for the Iowa House District Four seat to announce after Rep. John Kooiker recently decided not to seek re-election.
Huckabee criticizes Iowa school district over gun salute ban
Republican presidential candidate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee released the following statement in response to reports that administrators at Belle Plaine High School have banned the gun salute at this year’s annual Veteran’s Day assembly.
“We honor our fallen heroes with the 21-gun salute (sic), and I am shocked that high school administrators in Iowa would politicize Veteran’s Day with a shameful, anti-gun agenda that prohibits this treasured American tradition. Anyone who dishonors America’s heroes and their sacrifice to keep us free has no business anywhere near our kids and grandkids. Iowa students and families deserve better.”
No admission for Jindal’s Dallas County event
Dallas County Republicans recently announced Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal as our keynote speaker for the upcoming Dallas County Fall Speaker Series on Friday.
The event will be held at the Waukee Community Center at 675 Walnut Street in Waukee. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m., and Gov. Jindal will address the crowd at 6 p.m.
A generous sponsor has allowed us to provide tickets to the public free of charge. Anyone may register at http://dallascountygop.eventbrite.com or by emailing info@dallascountygop.org.
Paul: 100 Days to Victory
This week, Rand Paul for President is launching the ‘100 Days to Victory’ initiative and calling supporters to action with a 10 day grassroots push. This Saturday marks the 100 day countdown to the Iowa Caucuses and the 108 day countdown to the First in the Nation Primary in New Hampshire. Rand Paul for President will be coordinating with grassroots activists in all 50 states and the calls to action will include door knocking, phone-from-home programs, phone banking, supporting Rand Paul on social media, and hosting debate watch parties.
Rand Paul for President is well positioned in both Iowa and New Hampshire with unmatched grassroots organization. Sen. Rand Paul has a 300-person leadership team which includes 27 GOP representatives and 2 state senators all endorsing Senator Paul for president.
In Iowa, Sen. Rand Paul has a leadership team composed of co-chairs from all 99 counties along with district co-chairs, and several influential state-wide leaders. Along with the state leadership team, Rand Paul for President has organized active ‘Students for Rand’ chapters on over 20 Iowa college campuses.
The most recent polls show Sen. Rand Paul in fifth among the Republican field and third among both independents and younger voters. Rand Paul for President is mobilizing and building its organization to ensure a victory in February.
“The message of Liberty brings people together. I am proud to represent the liberty wing of the Republican party– a wing that is active and proud to participate in the electoral process. With the support of grassroots leaders from across the nation, we will succeed in our final 100 days to victory,” Paul said.
Click HERE for more detail on the ‘100 Days to Victory’ initiative and click HERE to listen to a message from Sen. Rand Paul.
Heki endorses Huckabee for President
Hawkeye state homeschool stalwart and prominent grassroots conservative activist Barb Heki endorsed Gov. Mike Huckabee for president today.
“Gov. Huckabee fears God, loves America, fights for liberty, reveres our Constitution, and respects our Founding Fathers’ commitment to Biblical morality. I am pleased to give my full, enthusiastic endorsement to Mike Huckabee for president of the United States,” said Heki.
Since his announcement on May 5, Huckabee has held 85 separate Iowa events in 60 of the 99 total counties across the state. The Huckabee campaign has publicly announced 195 statewide Iowa leaders, including 77 county chairs.
“I’m proud to have Barb Heki’s endorsement and support from thousands of grassroots conservatives across Iowa, including the homeschool community. We are mobilizing a grassroots army to power our campaign through the Iowa caucus and beyond,” said Gov. Huckabee.
Heki and her husband Rich are founders and directors of the national ministry, “Grandparents of Homeschoolers.” Having home-educated their four children from birth to adulthood, they served 11 years on Iowa’s state homeschooling board and continue to work closely with national homeschooling leaders. Heki has been involved in political campaigns for two decades, from local to national, and has served 40 years in Christian ministries, including chairing the state board of Child Evangelism Fellowship. Prior to that she was the publications manager at a Fortune 200 company. Heki holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from Drake University. She and Rich have four adult children and two grandchildren.
“Gov. Huckabee has the comprehensive experience of a governor, a fiery passion for liberty, and that engaging Reaganesque likability that enables him to build a team to transform Washington,” said Heki. “He has a pastor’s heart and a commander-in-chief’s know-how, following the mandate of ‘we the people.’ He’s fighting tooth-and-nail against Common Core and has the right solution to the ultimate problem in education: get rid of all federal involvement and put the families back in charge! And very important to this election – Gov. Huckabee has an amazing history of defeating the Clinton machine!”
Ernst stresses need for GMOs to preserve nation’s safety, maintain global stability
Wednesday at a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee hearing entitled “Agriculture Biotechnology: A Look at Federal Regulation and Stakeholder Perspectives”, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) cited a recent report released by the Director of National Intelligence that pointed out the national security threats posed by global food insecurity. Senator Ernst emphasized that failure to embrace biotechnology could ultimately put our military and our country at risk.
The Iowa Senator questioned the panel which included: Mr. Mike Gregoire, Associate Administrator of the Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Mr. William Jordan, Deputy Director of the Office of Pesticide Programs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and Dr. Susan Mayne, Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
During her questioning, Senator Ernst detailed:
“If we fail to embrace biotechnology as a safe, affordable and timely way to bring food production methods to developing and unstable nations, we are ultimately putting our military and our country at greater risk. How can this Administration and your agencies specifically work to help the public better understand biotechnology, so we can better address the national security challenges laid out by DNI?”
The hearing comes on the heels of the World Food Prize in Des Moines, an award presentation in honor of Iowan Dr. Norman Borlaug. He is a 1970 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and a trailblazer in the development of global food sustainability. Recently, Senator Ernst penned a column for Waverly Newspapers, highlighting Dr. Borlaug’s vast contributions and the need for GMOs to help feed a growing and hungry world. She wrote in part:
Dr. Borlaug dedicated his life to the tireless pursuit of an important goal to feed a growing and hungry world. He made breakthroughs in plant breeding, especially in developing disease resistant varieties of wheat, which were well suited to broad swaths of the globe, and produced dramatically higher yields than their predecessors.
The spread of these ever improving seeds, as well as the knowledge of improved cultivation practices, across Mexico and later in Asia and Latin America became known as the Green Revolution, which has subsequently reduced hunger, famine, and poverty around the world. For this, Dr. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and has been credited with saving over one billion lives.
While we celebrate his vast contributions, we are faced with the harsh reality that his fight is not yet won.
Much of the world remains impoverished, and malnutrition in children is the primary force holding back emergent nations. Additionally, the global population is projected to swell to nine billion by the year 2050.
However, the good news is we are currently enjoying a second Green Revolution due in large part to the remarkable advances being made in biotechnology. Our Iowa farmers and the agricultural industry nationwide have been growing safe, nutritious, and affordable Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) for decades; and much like the first Green Revolution, many have taken for granted the remarkable benefits that have accompanied this transition. Every year we are producing more food on fewer acres, while using less pesticides to produce healthy and bountiful crops in all climates and conditions.
Click here to read the full column.
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