DES MOINES, Iowa — Every presidential debate has a lot at stake. The one on Tuesday between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris could be the first and only one.
The leaders of the major parties in Iowa talked about what they thought and what they hoped would happen in Philadelphia, PA.
“There will definitely be fireworks.” That’s something we know. I just hope that among all the fireworks, there is an educational piece with a contrast that lets people know that Harris has changed her views on purpose and in public since she became the nominee. “That has to be very clear to me,” said Jeff Kaufmann, Chair of the Iowa GOP.
Kaufmann wants the two to debate each other more than once so that voters can get a good idea of where they stand on different topics. Kaufmann talks about the border and inflation in terms of views that change.
A Democrat in the state doesn’t mind that VP Harris has different views on policy now than she did in the past. For her, it shows that the boss is good.
Republicans in Iowa are fighting the Iowa Utilities Commission to stop the Summit Carbon pipeline.
I believe that if any of us got a new job or saw the same information that a vice president sees, we might also change our minds when we learn something new. That is what makes a good leader, in our opinion.
“If she has changed her mind, that’s why she’s been Vice President of the United States,” said Jennifer Konfrst, (D) District 32 from Windsor Heights and the minority leader of the Iowa House of Representatives.
Rep. Konfrst is excited about Harris’s chances because the change at the top of the ticket has made more people want to help the party. Konfrst isn’t sure that the state will turn blue in the presidential election, but he is sure that it will happen in other races.
“What does Kamala Harris need to do to win Iowa?” “Most likely a lot more than we can handle in the next 56 days,” Konfrst said. “But it will help that enthusiasm and energy, which will help raise the bar a bit and really help races like the Iowa House.”
And the chair of the Iowa GOP thinks Trump will win in Iowa, but they are not taking anything for granted. He wants people in Iowa to watch to see how the show on Tuesday night might affect the swing states.
Kaufmann said, “But I think most people would say that Trump is well on his way to victory here in Iowa.” “But in seven states, our eyes are already fixed on the elections. Every Iowan should have their eyes fixed on those swing state elections, because that’s what will decide who runs the country.”