Differences in Iowa candidates Braley Ernst

Iowa Senate Race Has Clear Differences in Candidates

I hear some Iowans say they do not vote because the candidates from each party always seem the same. In the U.S. Senate race in Iowa, they have two clearly different choices featuring U.S. Representative Bruce Braley (D) running against Iowa Senator Joni Ernst (R).

These candidates have given us very different first impressions. Iowans initially found out about Braley from TV ads with his hometown neighbors of Brooklyn, Iowa, endorsing him. Another ad appeared with his mom as they discussed his challenges as a boy after his dad died and how he "tries to think what is best for the most people" in Iowa.

Our first impression of Ernst in a TV ad shows her smiling while relating her experiences castrating baby pigs on the farm growing up. Referring to people in Washington, grinning she says "Let's make them squeal." In another ad we see her riding a Harley in leather jacket and boots. She walks through a gun shop, and we stare down the muzzle of her revolver taking an aim at Obamacare.

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Informed voters need to do research to get detailed information not received in repetitive 30 second ads. This is especially true for misleading or inaccurate ads from industrialist funded PAC groups not accountable to Iowa voters. I first went to the candidates' websites. Ernst's website was less informative than Braley's, so additional research was needed.

Braley considers the now 41-year-old Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision a "settled law," and a matter best decided between a woman and her physician.

Ernst believes women should have no choice and wishes to criminalize abortions under any circumstance, while also opposing in-vitro fertilization and some forms of birth control. Braley voted for the Affordable Care Act, and still wants to maintain Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security responsibly. Ernst wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act (affecting Medicaid), and only provide vouchers for Medicare while privatizing Social Security.

Ernst is an avid opponent of gun-control legislation who receives an "A" rating from the NRA. Braley receives an "F" rating from the NRA because he believes we need to try to curb gun violence with a national registry and other responsible gun control measures.

Braley supports marriage equality. Ernst believes marriage is a Christian "religious institution" and the law should define it as only one woman and one man. She specifically wants to have a federal law banning gay marriage.

Ernst wants to abolish any minimum wage, while Braley supports raising the minimum wage to help middle class families. Ernst said that she would have voted against ending the government shutdown, while Braley voted no to having the shutdown. Ernst said she would have voted against the Farm Bill if she had been in Congress, whereas Braley is actually in favor of a long term extension of the Farm Bill.

Ernst denies man-made climate change. Braley has supported the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) and worked to create Iowa jobs in the clean energy business. Ernst believes that there should be no federal involvement in education at all, and she would try to eliminate the Department of Education. Braley supports federal involvement in education but feels the "No Child Left Behind" program needs major reforms. He does not believe test scores are the end-all for accountability in education.

Although Ernst is an advocate of reducing spending, her record in the Iowa Legislature shows limited involvement in legislation toward that end. In Washington, Braley has worked to implement the pay-as-you-go plan and the Government Waste Reduction Act in order to help reduce the deficit.

These were some of the major differences I found for our Iowa U.S. Senate candidates. Both candidates believe that they represent Iowans' values. Presently, Iowa has slightly over 1.9 million registered voters. There are roughly 600,000 Republican and 600,000 Democrat voters. The remaining 700,000 voters are no party. Iowa voters will clearly have to make distinctive choices this election based on their own values. Given the clearly different philosophies of these candidates, you'll have no excuse not to vote now!

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