The Republican candidates for Iowa’s governor race discussed many topics during their debate Tuesday evening.
Candidates who participated in the debate included Adam Steen, Eddie Andrews, and Brad Sherman. Moderator Kay Henderson mentioned all five candidates were invited to the debate, but Congressman Randy Feenstra and candidate Zach Lahn were absent.
Some of the topics discussed were education savings accounts, cancer rates, and abortion.
When asked about ESA, Sherman said public money is the people’s money; parents who are paying taxes should have a say on what type of education their students receive.
According to Sherman, the average amount of money spent per student per year is $24,000, whereas ESAs are only $8,000, so providing one type of service is "ridiculous".
Additionally, all three candidates reiterated they are against abortions; however, Andrews said he disagreed with the bill that criminalizes women for receiving abortions.
He said the state needs to focus on why women feel that abortion is their only option, adding he would like to provide support for women by providing resources such as housing.
Furthermore, when the topic of cancer was brought up, Steen said he would address the high cancer rates by conducting an independent research study, create a plan that focuses on prevention and treatment, and increase funding for cancer research.
Other topics the candidates covered were water quality and property taxes.
