Senate candidate Hogg heads county Democrats? Harvest Rally

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Salem?s Dave Helman is a believer ? a believer in State Sen. Rob Hogg and Hogg?s bid for the Democratic nomination to oppose Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, in the November general election.

?Rob Hogg is in the best position for a tough fight and the best guy to take on an 82-year-old U.S. Senator,? assessed Helman at Thursday?s Henry County Democratic Harvest Rally at the Coffee Depot in Mt. Pleasant, which attracted approximately 30 party loyalists.

?He (Hogg) brings a lot of good things to the table,? Helman continued. ?While all the candidates are good, Patty Judge (former Iowa lieutenant governor) is 72 and we would lose the argument against age and the opportunity to let young people take over.?

Hogg, 49, who keynoted Thursday?s event said he is in the midst of a 17-event, six-day campaign swing in Iowa and the Mt. Pleasant event was his ninth stop on the campaign trail.

Currently a state senator from Cedar Rapids, Hogg said he is ?running with the radical idea that I want to do the job and make government work again. I can do the job.?

Over 90 former and current colleagues have endorsed him in the four-person Democratic primary.

Other Democrats on the ballot in addition to Hogg and Judge are Bob Krause and Thomas L. Fiegen.

A strong environmentalist, Hogg said he feels it is increasingly important that we work on things conducive to a strong environment, such as the need for clean water and climate action and solutions. He said his stance on environmental issues is the driving force behind his candidacy.

Also endorsed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employes (AFSCME) and the Iowa Federation of Labor, the candidate said he believes in a full employment economy and raising the minimum wage.

He was quick to note that he is the only Democrat running for the U.S. Senate nomination that won his last election. ?I have won five elections in a row,? he reflected. ?The last two were pretty easy. I won my first election (to the Iowa House of Representatives) by 585 votes and won my last election by a 59-41 percent margin?I won running a positive campaign by uplifting democracy. I think I can win and run the right type of campaign. I think Iowans are hungry for new leaders.?

Looking back on the 2016 national and state campaigns thus far, the Cedar Rapids resident said he is encouraged by young people becoming involved. ?I want to inspire young people to get involved in public service and the community. I think this young generation is fairly engaged.?

Most of all, Hogg said he wants government to work again.

He admitted he was ?a little miffed? that Judge entered the campaign so late, ?but that will make the victory all the better.?

A University of Iowa graduate and native Iowan, Hogg spent a few years in Minnesota where he worked with former U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone. He noted how Wellstone was given little chance of victory when he took on and defeated an incumbent Republican Senator.

?Wellstone got outspent 7-1 and won and that gives me hope to be competitive,? he said.

Hogg said he will have to raise $1.5-$2 million for his campaign and will still be outspent by Grassley. However, he promised a ?creative campaign? and said the U.S. Senate race in Iowa will attract a lot of interest nationally.

?We really need the enthusiasm that was missing in 2010 and 2014,? the candidate said. ?We can achieve something together by transforming government into a workable group. I believe in a campaign that reaches out to everybody, including Republicans. We will have a lot of grassroots outreach.?

Asked what his proudest achievement as a legislator has been, Hogg was quick to answer that it was legislation passed following the 2008 flood that doused eastern Iowa. ?We passed more legislation in 2009 than any other session I have been involved in.?

In February 2015, Hogg was one of the panelists at a rally to save the Mt. Pleasant Mental Health Institute (MHI). He said he remembers the event well and expressed disappointment that the institution has been closed. ?It was the only dual-diagnosis (substance addiction and mental health care) in Iowa and there has been no replacement. It was very frustrating.?

Hogg will continue his 17-event campaign swing over the course of the weekend.