This week Iowa Governor Terry Branstad told the Newton Daily News that he is too busy being Governor to debate Tom Hoefling, his only opponent in the Republican gubernatorial primary on June 3rd.
Hoefling responded on Friday by saying, “Terry Branstad is leaving the citizens of Iowa out of his equation. The governor works for the people, at their pleasure. They deserve to have a full airing out of the candidates’ guiding principles, suggested public policies, and vision for the future of our state, in every election. No politician should ever be too busy for that. By declining to debate, and depriving the people of their right to hear from both candidates who will be on their primary ballots, he has shown that he thinks he is now above defending his policies as governor to the rank and file of his own party, and that he has no answer to my pointed conservative criticisms of those policies in recent months. So, I’ll simply have to take my case directly to the people. In the end, they’re the boss. They’re the ones who will decide, and they’re the ones who will have to live with the results of that choice for the next four years, and beyond.”