Iowa governor candidates shoot their shot at Jasper County trapshoot

Four candidates running for governor of Iowa made appearances to the Jasper County Republican Party Trapshoot fundraiser this past weekend.

U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, Iowa House Rep. Eddie Andrews, former Iowa House Rep. Brad Sherman and former Iowa Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen were the “celebrity guests” of the trapshoot on Sept. 13 at the Jasper County Gun Club in Newton. Some even participated in the shoot.

Prior to the celebrity trapshoot portion of the fundraiser, each Republican candidate was given a few minutes to speak for their campaign. Feenstra made a brief appearance but left early due to a prior commitment, so he was unable to speak. They were all introduced by party chair Jim Farland.

Andrews was upfront with party members: He was not going to win the trapshoot contest. But he felt he had better chances with the governor race. He described himself as the “grassroots candidate” and as an underdog, noting he has never entered a race in which he was the favorite.

“My first race I had no name recognition, no money. I was facing an incumbent. Just imagine AOC but more bitter. No joke. And I had passion and a vision for our district, and a work ethic that would not quit,” Andrews said. “…We did our prayers. God said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ We won that race.”

Subsequent races were just as difficult, but Andrews credited the results, again, to his work ethic. Andrews touted his efforts in creating the parental rights bill. He also explained his vision for Iowa, which starts with education. To him, Iowa’s greatest resource is not its corn but its children.

“We need to get education back to No. 1,” he said. “My back to No. 1 plan, we’ve got a number of teachers on our advisory committee. And it’s really simple. We have bought collectively common core, No Child Left Behind. What that has left us is an administrative heavy education, less resources in the classroom.”

Which also means less resources for teachers and students. Andrews said Iowa needs to refocus education so that the state gets back to basics. He also said Iowa needs to completely reform property taxes, saying people with fixed incomes should not worry about whether they will be able to stay in their home.

Andrews also voiced his opposition to the carbon capture pipeline and “eminent domain for private gain.” He said he is also a supporter of mental health.

“We’ve got great candidates. We’ve got a good bench, so to speak. But I would urge you to take one additional look at who do you think can beat Rob Sand,” he said. “I’m the only Republican in here that has won in a very tough district … in a blue district. We attract people in the middle and turn them into Republicans.”

Sherman has served as a lawmaker and a pastor and worked in real estate development, but he also has experience digging ditches and draining swamps.

“I literally have swamp draining experience,” Sherman said. “I think that’s something every politician ought to have if you’re going to run for public office.”

Sherman went on to correlate opening and clearing ditches with transparency in government. When a swamp is drained, he said, it will reestablish itself very, very quickly if you don’t keep the ditches drained; the swamp is always out there and ready to reestablish itself.

From his experience, what discourages Republican voters and people from voting in Republicans is when leaders “won’t acknowledge the mistakes that we’ve made.” Sherman promised if and when he makes a mistake, he will own up to it. Sherman mentioned this frequently.

Sherman said what initially got him elected was his stance on medical freedom during the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He condemned the economic effects of the pandemic and the restrictions that were set in place. If elected governor, Sherman said he would not let that kind of “tyranny” happen again.

“Some people will say we were better than most states,” he said. “Well, let me tell you, being better than most states is not the solution. It’s not the standard.”

The standard, he added, is the constitutional rights that Americans have been given. Sherman also shares the belief that the rights of Americans come from God not by government, and that the purpose of government was to protect those rights. He also believes God should be put back into Iowa’s education.

“If we don’t put the laws back into hearts and back into people’s minds, then, folks, we cannot restore our freedoms,” Sherman said.

Steen never thought he would be working in government; he thought he would be playing professional baseball. And, for a minute, it seemed like he was going down the right path when he was drafted for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2002. But baseball didn’t pan out, and there were other plans in store for Steen.

“I thought my future was gone,” he said. “…I recommitted my life to Christ and I said, ‘Lord, I’m coming after you with everything I’ve got, and I’m going to live my life planned, prepared and intentional from this day forward.’ And, I’m telling you, when I made that decision, I saw miracles, I saw relationships, I saw healing.”

For the past five years, Steen has been working for the governor running the Department of Administrative Services. No one has ever heard about that department, he added, but they should. The department is what operates the entire state. Steen reported directly to the governor.

What motivated him to run for governor? Steen said he didn’t jump in for himself, but rather for his kids, his fellow Iowans and the Lord. Steen said he wants to protect the freedoms of the state and the futures for children. The nation, he said, is at a tipping point.

“I resigned my position with the State of Iowa to jump into this race — not to take a risk, but to take a leap of faith,” Steen said. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Steen said the governor of a state is like a CEO. In order to be governor, one has to understand how to operate the state and how tax dollars flow through the state and its communities and how to understand politics and policy. Steen added he is not a politician but that doesn’t mean he won’t work with politicians.

“When I was appointed (to the Iowa Department of Administrative Services) my second time, I was confirmed 50 to 0 by both Democrats and Republicans because they knew I was doing a good job,” he said. “They knew I was the right man for that job and knew I could operate the state.”

Steen argued he should be governor because he can operate the state on Day One, he knows every piece of the operations and he knows Iowans. He also emphasized a large part of his campaign is driving home futures for skilled trades over diplomas from universities.

“I will be the largest promoter of skilled trades in the history of Iowa,” Steen said. “And why I’m going to do that is because skilled trades has been a glut in this state and we need to understand that our kids have a future through skilled trades.”