Eileen Beran, Kevin Kinney make campaign stop in Washington

WASHINGTON — Iowa Legislature Democratic candidates met with constituents at the Washington Public Library last week, where they spoke one-on-one with a handful of visitors before opening things up for a group discussion on politics.

Both are running contested races on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Sen. Kevin Kinney is up against Sen. Dawn Driscoll for the recently redrawn Senate District 46, where both candidates are incumbents, formerly in neighboring jurisdictions. Beran finds herself the underdog in a race against Republican Heather Hora for the historically conservative State House District 92, in a campaign where neither candidate has held public office before.

“What we want for Iowa is strong communities where children and grandchildren want to stay,” Beran said in a brief speech at the Oct. 25 event. “I view this candidacy and opportunity to serve in the legislature as an extension of my service to others. I want to listen to the district, listen to the voices of the people here and be responsive, be a representative in a true sense.”

Beran said she was motivated to fill the vacant Democratic candidacy after the party l ended the primary election without a candidate.

“I came out of retirement, out of my comfort zone, and stepped up to be the representative that I wanted,” she said.

Beran seeks to distinguish her campaign as a more responsive platform than her opponent Heather Hora, who has promised to stick closely to the National Republican Party platform through and through.

“I’ll vote with what it looks like the facts are, and what seems like the best thing for Iowans and the people I represent,” Beran said. “I’m going to listen to what the voters say and I’m going to listen to what people in the district want.”

That said, Beran said she still tended to lean Democratic on most issues.

“I think a lot of what the Democratic Party is doing is being good for people, and I think a lot of what we need to do as a party is going to have to be incremental,” she said. “I’m going to defend reproductive rights, I’m going to defend firearm safety, I’m going to be in favor of funding public schools.”

Sen. Kevin Kinney has also focused his campaign on a centrist angle.

“I’ll continue to work across the aisle because I think that in the middle is where a lot of people are, on the Republican side or the Democratic side,” he said. “If you’re able to work in that middle, you are able to get a lot of legislation done.”

Kinney went on to encourage widespread turnout in the midterm election, regardless of who his message reached.

“I’ll go to the door and tell people, ‘Whether you vote for me or not, go vote,’” he said. “I do want to see someone vote. At least it gives you the opportunity to complain if they do get elected.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com