It is extremely exciting to have four great candidates in the district this year who are talking about the issues that are important to me and to my fellow Iowans.  Each has received endorsements from different groups with strong opinions on these issues, and it’s great to see these groups taking such an active role in the process.  

I expect that the turnout in our primary may be higher than it’s been in years, and that we can finally start reversing the damage the current administration and our current representative have done to our country, while carrying our nation forward in the future.  Therefore, I believe that we need a nominee who can carry that energy and that momentum forward into November and beyond, and I believe that nominee should be Kurt Meyer.

Meyer is strong on the issues that are of concern to me, including universal health care, ending the war in Iraq, investing current budget bloat into our environment and our infrastructure, and fixing our economy.  Too many people in this country are suffering without the health care they desperately need, have lost loved ones in a war that we never should have fought, and are facing the consequences of a deteriorating environment.  These are obvious affronts to any person who values social justice.

So too are they tragedies, but maybe not so obvious, that small town roads are falling apart, a massive digital divide separates many even within our own state, that veterans across this state lack access to the resources they were once promised, that fuel prices are making it more and more difficult for many in rural areas to find fair prices for necessities, and that many of our lenders and deregulation created the financial disaster that has stolen the homes of many in our state.  These facts are frightening, but Kurt Meyer has plans to deal with them.

He was lauded by the Des Moines Register for being the only Democratic candidate in the district to fill out the Political Courage Test, administered and published by Project Vote Smart, because he’s open and willing to let the voters know where he stands.

It is because of his strong stand on the issues that Kurt has been endorsed by groups like the Progressive Coalition of Central Iowa and STAR*PAC (Stop the Arms Race PAC), and has been hosted at events by party leaders all across Iowa.  They believe in a future where Kurt Meyer not only votes to uphold the will of his constituents, unlike our current congressman, but generates pro-active policies that make his constituents proud to say they live in the district.

Although he has lived and worked outside of Iowa for much of his adult life, Kurt Meyer is a fifth-generation Iowan who has deep roots in Iowa through his history and in his values.  A few years after returning and building his current and future home on land that his family has held for over a century in Mitchell County, Kurt realized that his hometown was ready for new leadership.  

I’ve seen Meyer talk about how and why this country, and this district is ready for a change, and I am inspired to make that change happen.

When I first saw Kurt speak, I recognized the energy, the passion, and the compassion in his voice that showed me that he truly believes in the power of the people in this district.  He’s clearly willing to use his voice and his own resources to make sure the people of this district win the election in November by electing a new congressman.  Although I respect all the candidates in the primary very much, and would be happy to see any of them replace Tom Latham, I believe that Kurt Meyer is the most capable of doing so.  His voice, his commitment, his energy, and his clear mind truly set him apart from the pack.

On Tuesday, June 3rd, I’ll be casting my vote to make Kurt Meyer the nominee for the Democratic party, and in November, I will cast my vote to elect him to be my congressman.  I hope that you will too.