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Why Iowa Dem Senate candidate has 'no interest' in calls to impeach Trump · INSIGHT TODAY

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  Speaker 1: I don't have to tell you, this state has, we've
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  Speaker 1: seen the shift to the right in this state in
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  Speaker 1: the last many election cycles. I'm wondering, given where the
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  Speaker 1: Democratic brand is right now, how hard is it to
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  Speaker 1: run as a Democrat statewide in Iowa?
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  Speaker 2: I don't think we're a red state. You don't think
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  Speaker 2: you're a red state? No, I think, look, I think
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  Speaker 2: we're a common sense, full picture. I think people have
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  Speaker 2: short memories. Pre-Trump, we won six of the seven presidential campaigns,
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  Speaker 2: going all the way back to 88. This is a
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  Speaker 2: state that Twice votes for Obama, three times for Trump.
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  Speaker 2: We haven't had an influx of new voters either. This
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  Speaker 2: is a state that in Trump's last midterm we win
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  Speaker 2: three of the four congressional candidates. Almost won all four,
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  Speaker 2: three points away. 30 years we elect Senator Harkin along
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  Speaker 2: with Grassley, side by side. And in the last midterm, 2022,
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  Speaker 2: which was not a very good year for Democrats, we
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  Speaker 2: were only 1.5% away from having three of our six
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  Speaker 2: statewide officials being Dems. That means your average Iowa voter
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  Speaker 2: went to the polls, voted for three R's and three D's.
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  Speaker 2: So I've said for a whole year. We are a
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  Speaker 2: common sense state that is masqueraded as more red than
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  Speaker 2: what we actually are.
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  Speaker 1: So do you think the Democratic brand is in trouble
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  Speaker 1: here at all?
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  Speaker 2: Oh, look, I think that you have to run the
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  Speaker 2: right candidate with the right message and the right work
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  Speaker 2: ethic and the right political environment. That's why I define
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  Speaker 2: myself as a common sense pre-populist. I think if you're
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  Speaker 2: going to go out there and you're going to win
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  Speaker 2: in a state like Iowa, you've got to be focusing
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  Speaker 2: on economic populism. So that's why I've said I'm out there.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not focusing on the cultural issues. I'm out there
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  Speaker 2: laser focused on the issues that apply to all 3.2
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  Speaker 2: million Iowans. A livable wage, affordable housing, affordable health care,
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  Speaker 2: drinkable water, functioning public schools, addressing corruption. If we focus
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  Speaker 2: on those issues, we'll be able to win in Iowa.
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  Speaker 1: What do you say to those Republican voters and independent voters?
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  Speaker 1: You need to win right now. Who may say, look,
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  Speaker 1: I like Josh Turek. I like his profile and the rest.
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  Speaker 1: But I am concerned about a Democratic majority if you
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  Speaker 1: were to win. What do you say to them?
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  Speaker 2: The best way to judge future performance is past performance.
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  Speaker 2: and they can look at me in something that I'm
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  Speaker 2: genuinely proud of, is that in my time in the
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  Speaker 2: Iowa legislature, I've been independently recognized as one of the
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  Speaker 2: most bipartisan and one of the most effective members. Over
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  Speaker 2: 700 times I've voted with Republicans, including on issues like immigration,
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  Speaker 2: including issues on taxes, property taxes. Trust me, all anybody
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  Speaker 2: needs to do is go into my social media feeds.
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  Speaker 2: They will realize that not all the Democrats love me.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, but that's a vote, right? Your party will be
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  Speaker 1: in power, and those people, their politics may be More
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  Speaker 1: liberal than yours, perhaps. A lot of those people in
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  Speaker 1: the Democratic caucus. And some of those folks are calling,
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  Speaker 1: want to go after Trump. What do you say to
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  Speaker 1: some voters who may be concerned about what Democrats may
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  Speaker 1: do in the majority?
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  Speaker 2: That with me, you are going to get someone that
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  Speaker 2: their political North Star is always going to be not party,
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  Speaker 2: not leadership. It is always going to be what is
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  Speaker 2: best for Iowa, what is best for Iowans, what is
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  Speaker 2: best for the middle class that's being hollowed out, what
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  Speaker 2: is best for our workers. what is best for small farms,
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  Speaker 2: what is best for rural communities. I will always do
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  Speaker 2: what's best for them. I don't care about party leadership.
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  Speaker 2: I don't care about party direction. I'm going to be
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  Speaker 2: laser focused on what is best for the people here
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  Speaker 2: because too many people in Iowa are hurting and they're
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  Speaker 2: hurting unnecessarily because of tariffs, war in Iran, on and on,
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  Speaker 2: health care cuts.
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  Speaker 1: Because some of those folks in your party will want
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  Speaker 1: to go after Trump. They're calling for impeachment. Will you
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  Speaker 1: resist those calls? I've said it many times. I have
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  Speaker 1: no interest in.
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  Speaker 2: And looking backwards. I want to look forward. What I
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  Speaker 2: want to do is every single day go out there
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  Speaker 2: and put together policy that is actually going to help
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  Speaker 2: the average Iowan. When I'm knocking doors here in Iowa,
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  Speaker 2: I don't hear people talking to me about impeaching the president.
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  Speaker 2: I hear a lot of people saying, Josh, I'm working
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  Speaker 2: full time. My wife is working full time and we
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  Speaker 2: can't afford to keep groceries. We can't afford to keep
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  Speaker 2: food on the table. So I want to be laser
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  Speaker 2: focused on cost corruption, kitchen table issues, providing solutions to
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  Speaker 2: people's problems, in a bipartisan way through policy. That's what
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  Speaker 2: I've done in the Iowa legislature. That's exactly what they'll
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  Speaker 2: get from me in the U.S.
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  Speaker 1: Senate. There's talks of impeaching Pete Hegseth as defense secretary.
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  Speaker 1: Would you feel okay about that? Might be. You might
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  Speaker 1: be okay with that.
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  Speaker 2: We'll see. As a senator, I don't have to worry
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  Speaker 2: about that just yet. That's a question for members of Congress.
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  Speaker 2: I will do my constitutional duty in the United States
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  Speaker 2: Senate to act as judge and jury on this. But
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  Speaker 2: my North Star on this is I want to look forward,
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  Speaker 2: not back. And I want to, every single day, put
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  Speaker 2: forth policy and legislation that is actually going to help Iowans.
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  Speaker 2: Because too many Iowans are hurting and suffering, and suffering unnecessary.
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  Speaker 1: Ashley Hinson is trying to position herself as someone who
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  Speaker 1: is working in a bipartisan way, has broken from the
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  Speaker 1: president on issues like on beef, on calling for the
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  Speaker 1: end of the Iran war, and on... You know, she
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  Speaker 1: has done this in recent weeks to try to show
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  Speaker 1: her independence. Is she independent from the president? She's showing
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  Speaker 1: some independence. Does she deserve credit for it?
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  Speaker 2: No, because for six years she showed none. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: she came out and said she wanted to be Donald
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  Speaker 2: Trump's best ally in the U.S.
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  Speaker 1: Senate.
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  Speaker 2: She's voted with her party and with leadership 99% of
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  Speaker 2: the time.
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  Speaker 1: Is she a MAGA Republican in your view?
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  Speaker 2: I think she has been for six years.
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  Speaker 1: You do? Yeah. And....
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  Speaker 2: I'm someone that's real clear distinction on this. Independently recognized
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  Speaker 2: as one of the most bipartisan members of the Iowa legislature,
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  Speaker 2: including 700 times voting with Republicans. She's voted with party
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  Speaker 2: 99% of the time. That is a very, very clear distinction.
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  Speaker 2: She is the least bipartisan member of the Iowa delegation.
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  Speaker 2: You can't suddenly, I mean, again, five times voting in
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  Speaker 2: favor of the tariffs, seven times voting in favor of
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  Speaker 2: the war with Iran. This war that has led to
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  Speaker 2: gas prices going up here in Iowa more than any
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  Speaker 2: other state. Diesel prices being at an all-time high as
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  Speaker 2: our farmers are out there harvesting their crops and leading
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  Speaker 2: to an increase in fertilizer prices so much that century
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  Speaker 2: farmers are worried about going into foreclosure. This is someone
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  Speaker 2: that has voted for cuts to health care, food assistance,
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  Speaker 2: and Social Security just to give tax breaks to billionaires.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, can you imagine in a state with a
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  Speaker 2: health care crisis and a cancer crisis, she's been in
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  Speaker 2: favor of $ 33 million in cancer research funding coming to
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  Speaker 2: the state? I mean, 119,000 Iowans seeing their health care
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  Speaker 2: premiums double or triple?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: We're only a state of 3.2 million, and yet we've
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  Speaker 2: had 842 health care entities close and 160 rural pharmacies.
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  Speaker 2: You can't look at a single metric that has gone
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  Speaker 2: in the right direction in the last two years. And
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  Speaker 2: that is because of people like Ashley Hinson that has
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  Speaker 2: gone up to D.C. to look out for herself and
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  Speaker 2: to look out for billionaires.
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  Speaker 1: I saw this latest ad that you put out, this
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  Speaker 1: direct-to-camera ad in which you went up and said that
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  Speaker 1: you– don't support boys playing in girls' sports. Why come
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  Speaker 1: out with that now, in the final days of the campaign,
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  Speaker 1: and that could rub some of your supporters the wrong way?
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  Speaker 2: Well, one, I've said it multiple times. Again, I think
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  Speaker 2: I have more credibility to talk about this than almost
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  Speaker 2: any other politician in the country.
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  Speaker 1: But is it a sign that those attacks against you
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  Speaker 1: are working? Do you have to go direct to camera
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  Speaker 1: on this?
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  Speaker 2: There are attacks. And the reality is they're putting $ 20
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  Speaker 2: million in negative television ads. to try to make me
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  Speaker 2: appear as somebody that I'm not. So I thought it
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  Speaker 2: was important that we set the record straight. And I've
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  Speaker 2: been clear on this. I played professional wheelchair basketball. I'm
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  Speaker 2: a four-time Paralympian. I'm a two-time gold medalist. Both my
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  Speaker 2: brother and my sister played professional able-bodied basketball. I know
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  Speaker 2: that there is a fundamental difference between boys and girls.
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  Speaker 2: And I believe that biological males should not compete in
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  Speaker 2: female sports. And if that rubs some people in my
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  Speaker 2: party the wrong way, Look, we're a big party, and
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  Speaker 2: you don't have to agree with me on everything, but
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  Speaker 2: I can tell you this. I'm going to be laser-focused
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  Speaker 2: on the issues that I think that people care about.
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  Speaker 2: A livable wage, affordable housing, affordable health care, drinkable water. Again,
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  Speaker 2: I'm going to be focused on the issues that apply
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  Speaker 2: to all 3.2 million Iowans.
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  Speaker 1: And as we wrap here, if you win, your first
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  Speaker 1: vote will be, who's going to be the next Democratic leader?
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  Speaker 1: Would you vote for Chuck Schumer?
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  Speaker 2: I'm going to sit down first. I don't know these folks.
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  Speaker 2: I'm going to sit down with them, and I'm going
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  Speaker 2: to say, I'm going to ask them a lot of questions, actually.
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  Speaker 2: So whoever's deciding to run for leadership, and I have
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  Speaker 2: no idea who's even going to decide to run for leadership,
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  Speaker 2: I want to sit down and have a one-on-one meeting
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  Speaker 2: with each of them. And I want to say, what
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  Speaker 2: are you going to do for Iowa? What are you
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  Speaker 2: going to do for Iowans? What are you going to
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  Speaker 2: do for the middle class? What are you going to
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  Speaker 2: do for our workers? What are you going to do
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  Speaker 2: for unions? What are you going to do for rural communities?
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  Speaker 2: What are you going to do for farmers? And whoever
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  Speaker 2: most closely aligns with my prairie populace agenda, the thing
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  Speaker 2: that I've been out here talking about for 460 days,
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  Speaker 2: A livable wage, affordable housing, health care is a human right,
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  Speaker 2: affordable pharmaceuticals, addressing the cancer rates, drinkable water, functioning public schools,
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  Speaker 2: addressing infrastructure, campaign finance reform, trying to overturn Citizens United,
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  Speaker 2: the Disclose Act, trying to get the dark money out
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  Speaker 2: of politics. Who's in favor of term limits, banning members
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  Speaker 2: of Congress from trading stock? Whoever most closely aligns with
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  Speaker 2: that policy. prairie populist ideology, that's who I'll support.
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  Speaker 1: But you know Schumer because he recruited you in this race, right?
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  Speaker 1: He didn't recruit me. He didn't recruit you.
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  Speaker 2: No, I went there and I said, I'm ready to
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  Speaker 2: win Senator Harkin's seat back. I got into this race
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  Speaker 2: for two reasons. One, because I think that we've got
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  Speaker 2: too many people that go to D.C. that come from
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  Speaker 2: wealth and privilege, people like Ashley Henson. I don't think
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  Speaker 2: we have enough people from places like Council Bluffs, Iowa,
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  Speaker 2: with lived economic struggle and health care struggle. Because when
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  Speaker 2: you've experienced that struggle yourself firsthand, you'll have a different
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  Speaker 2: level of empathy, a different level of understanding, and and
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  Speaker 2: a different level of fight. And what we are missing
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  Speaker 2: is we are missing fighters for the people, for the
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  Speaker 2: people that can't afford to make a political donation or
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  Speaker 2: can't afford a lobbyist. And two, I got into this
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  Speaker 2: race because that man that I was sitting on the
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  Speaker 2: stage with is my political hero, the father of the
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  Speaker 2: American With Disabilities Act. This is his seat 12 years later.
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  Speaker 2: And I believe that it's going to be something beautifully
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  Speaker 2: poetic that the man that's coming to win his seat
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  Speaker 2: back is only there because of the work that he
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  Speaker 2: did on the ADA in the Senate. And I think
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  Speaker 2: that we deserve, here in Iowa, to have somebody fighting
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  Speaker 2: for Iowa and Iowans, not somebody like Ashley Henson going
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  Speaker 2: up there to enrich herself and look out for billionaires
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  Speaker 2: and large corporations.
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  Speaker 1: That's why I ran. Well, we'll leave it at that.
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  Speaker 1: So thanks so much for taking the time. I appreciate it. Yes.