BURLINGTON (AP) — Republican Gov. Terry Branstad and Democratic challenger Jack Hatch clashed over how to create jobs and boost incomes in the state Saturday during their second debate.
They faced off at a middle school in Burlington, in the southeastern part of the state. Their hourlong debate before an audience of at least 500 focused on economic development issues.
Branstad, who is running for an unprecedented sixth non-consecutive term, said job creation has boomed under his watch, an accomplishment he said he’s “really proud of.”
But Hatch, a longtime state lawmaker from Des Moines, argued that Branstad is exaggerating jobs numbers. He said “even a fifth-grader knows you have to subtract what you’ve lost.”
Branstad, 67, counts the number of jobs added during his tenure, but not the jobs lost. By his count, the state has added more than 150,000 jobs since January 2011, but the net gain in jobs has been about 77,300, according to data from the Iowa Workforce Development.
Several recent polls have showed Branstad with a commanding lead in the race. Branstad had more than $4 million in his campaign account in mid-July. Hatch had less than $200,000 at that time.
Hatch, 64, said he favored raising the state minimum wage, providing support to small businesses and providing tax cuts geared at middle-class residents. He offered a plan to create four regional economic development authorities around the state to help grow businesses and jobs.
“What we need in the next governor must lead Iowa to the next generation of jobs, that will be an explosion of economic opportunity,” Hatch said. “To get there we have to do something different, build the economy from the community up, not from the top down.”
Branstad questioned Hatch’s economic proposal, saying that regional economic development agencies would not be as effective as having a statewide agency work with local officials.
Branstad touted a tax cut for commercial property owners that he ushered through the state Legislature. He also said he’d work to provide more job training programs, saying that was a better way to help working Iowa residents than increasing the minimum wage.
“My focus is trying to bring good jobs to Iowans and help people get the skills so they have a living wage,” Branstad said.
The candidates argued over the tax breaks provided to a fertilizer plant in southeastern Iowa, with Branstad saying the deal has created much-needed jobs in Iowa and Hatch arguing that the agreement was too expensive for the state.
Both candidates raised ethical issues. Branstad questioned the tax breaks that Hatch’s development company has received. But Hatch said investigations have shown that his business has always followed the rules.
“We’re a good company and it’s strange a Republican governor would be blaming a good businessman for having a good and honest business,” Hatch said.
Hatch called Branstad’s administration “scandal-ridden.” Among the issues he cited was recent investigations into settlements for former state workers that included confidentiality payments.
Branstad said he favors honest government, adding: “When we found out about confidentiality agreements, I signed an executive order to prevent them in the future.”
The debate was sponsored by the Greater Burlington Partnership, KWQC-TV and The Hawk Eye.