Republicans avoid three voter forums in Johnson County, resulting in empty chairs at debate
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HILLS -- Democrats Kevin Kinney and Eileen Beran were left debating empty chairs Tuesday night because their Republican legislative opponents chose to not show up.
Kinney, an incumbent state senator, is running in a tough reelection bid against another sitting state senator, Dawn Driscoll from Iowa County, while Beran is a first-time candidate running against Republican Heather Hora of Washington County. Neither Hora nor Driscoll showed up at the Hills Community Center for a League of Women Voters of Johnson County candidate forum in what might be the only opportunity for voters to see the candidates in the same room, debating the issues before the Nov. 8 election.
When the forum started, the moderator accidentally asked Driscoll for her opening statement, which elicited chuckles from the crowd.
Hora said in an email she had a prior commitment that she couldn't change, but did inform the League of Women Voters a long time ago that she didn't think the date would work for her. Driscoll also said in an email she was unable to attend due to a prior commitment, so instead she and her campaign team spent Tuesday door-knocking in Hills.
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A third Republican running in Johnson County, Brad Sherman of Williamsburg, declined attending the forum for House District 91 ahead of time. Sherman is running against Democrat Elle Wyant of Marengo. Sherman did not respond to requests for comment from the Press-Citizen.
Early voting in the election starts Oct. 19. Voter forums, put on by organizations like the League of Women Voters, are often one of the ways people can hear directly from candidates and ask them questions before they go to vote.
Hora said she's heard the Washington Chamber of Commerce is planning a voter forum in later October, but the Press-Citizen did not hear back from the chamber's executive director before deadline.
The Washington Chamber of Commerce held a forum before the June primary for both House District 92 and Senate District 46. Kinney, Driscoll and Hora all showed up, but Beran was not yet nominated to run as a Democrat for that race.
'I feel like it's the voters who lose': Kevin Kinney, Eileen Beran and League of Women Voters disappointed Republicans did not show up
If campaign signs are any indication, the drive into Hills on Tuesday night showed a community sharply divided on politics. Signs for both Driscoll and Kinney dotted some lawns, while others sported Beran's signs, along with signs for Phil Hemingway, a Republican running for Johnson County Board of Supervisors, and Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who is running against Democrat Christina Bohannan for Iowa's 1st Congressional District.
In the 2020 election, the precinct containing Hills, a community of just over 800 people, narrowly voted for former President Donald Trump, who got 147 votes to President Joe Biden's 123.
When Kinney last ran in 2018 he got the only three votes cast in Hills. State Rep. Amy Nielsen, who represented Hills before this year's redistricting, ran unopposed for most of her tenure.
While Tuesday's crowd numbered only about two dozen people, including members of the League of Women Voters, the organization did livestream the event on Facebook to reach a wider audience.
League of Women Voters of Johnson County board member Jeanne Bancroft told the crowd after the forum that the organization hadn't heard from either Driscoll or Hora but still prepared chairs and name tags in case they chose to attend. She said they sent certified letters to the addresses of both candidates to confirm they received an invitation in addition to calling and emailing both.
"We feel it is really important for all candidates to speak to their constituents," Bancroft said. "Most of the time, candidates are just invited to campaign events where they just have their side represented. So we wanted to have an event where all candidates are here."
Bancroft said she wanted to emphasize that the League of Women Voters is nonpartisan. The group does not affiliate with any political party, but it does take positions on certain issues, like opposing the proposed ballot question this fall that would write protections for gun ownership into the Iowa Constitution and subject any proposed restrictions to strict scrutiny.
Bancroft said the League of Women Voters reaches out to candidates up to two months ahead of proposed forums and is always willing to move dates around if candidates are not able to attend. In May, Supervisor Jon Green attended the forum for the Democratic Primary for Johnson County Board of Supervisors virtually because he could not attend in person.
Kinney, from Oxford, told the Press-Citizen he thought it was a shame Hora and Driscoll didn't show up to give their viewpoints, but that the forum was a valuable chance to get a candidate's message out, but also allow constituents to ask questions before voting.
"It's so they can make an informed decision," Kinney said.
Beran, from Kalona, said she hopes she was able to give voters a chance to learn more about her. She said she was disappointed Hora did not show up.
"(Voters) should get the chance. It's part of democracy, is letting people know what you stand for and who you are. Now people will have to guess or do their own research," Beran said.
Beran said she has not heard from the Washington Chamber of Commerce, but would like to attend its forum if it happens. Kinney said he has not heard from the organization either.
Republicans in Johnson County have a spotty record of attending forums put on by the LWV. Only four of the six Republicans running in the primary against Sherman showed up for that election's forum in May.
State Rep. Bobby Kaufmann also rarely makes appearances at the LWV's legislative forum of Johnson County representatives. Kaufmann is the only Republican currently representing Johnson County in the Iowa Legislature.
More:Politicians fan out in Johnson County for a day of old-fashioned door-knocking. Here's how it went.
Bancroft said she is aware of these accusations and hopes any frustrations Republicans have with the League of Women Voters can be healed.
"For decades we've been doing this and everyone has always attended and participated. I feel like it's the voters who lose if they're going to reject us," she said.
Bancroft said Republican candidates have accepted invitations for upcoming forums in these races:
Johnson County Board of Supervisors: Republicans Jammie Bradshaw and Phil Hemingway, and Democrats Jon Green and V Fixmer-Oraiz are scheduled to appear at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 in The Center in Iowa City.
Iowa House District 85: Nielsen, Republican Wayne Grell and Libertarian candidate Jacob Wenck are scheduled to appear at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 in the North Liberty City Council chambers.
Iowa House District 89: Republican Jacob Onken and Democrat Elinor Levin are scheduled to appear at 6 p.m. Oct. 11 in The Center in Iowa City.
Bancroft said Republican candidate Harold Weilbrenner, running for Iowa Senate District 45 against Democrat Janice Weiner, has not yet accepted the invitation to attend on Oct. 11 forum. The League has also not heard back from no-party candidate Eric Heick, running for Johnson County Board of Supervisors.
Beran and Kinney take opportunity to address issues to voters
While their opponents' chairs were unoccupied, Beran and Kinney took questions for about 40 minutes from both the League of Women Voters and the audience. The questions addressed issues including gun rights, abortion, eminent domain, farming, health care access for rural Iowans and education.
The two Democrats rarely had nuanced opinions on the issues, but Kinney's eight years of experience in the Iowa Legislature became evident as he talked through his record and what he hopes to see in the coming session if he gets reelected.
Kinney said in his opening statement he became interested in the Legislature when he was with the Johnson County Sheriff's office and wanted to get Iowa to institute a human trafficking law.
"I learned, in a way, that I was the only Democrat that can farm. I felt like the Democrats need a voice in agriculture, and that's why I ran the last time and continue to run this time," Kinney said.
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Kinney said if he is reelected he would like to continue to look at improving child care access and affordable housing in rural communities. He said he would also like to extend the statute of limitations for when children who are victims of sexual assault can bring a civil lawsuit, which currently ends at five years.
Beran said she sees the opportunity to run for office as a chance to serve the community, listen to constituents in the district and respond to people she represents. Beran said she is motivated to run by the issues that the Iowa Legislature is likely to address in its next session, which she said include education funding, voting rights and abortion access.
"I'm running because there was one candidate on the ballot and I'm a fan of democracy," Beran said.
"I want to be a representative that I would want for this district."
A recording of that forum can be viewed at: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/HVVUzHmh5ewhg4ThMXySht4Off8Cl8dXwa_qEvWnDUP59Jo-42wNGwkWaSlLCDgpGSkUiXjrlKAESKaR.VH-akri7JWZ78A_F.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Johnson County Democrats debate empty chairs at voter forum
