Where Eileen Beran and Heather Hora stand on key issues in the Iowa House District 92 race
Democrat Eileen Beran and Republican Heather Hora are running against one another to represent the open Iowa House of Representatives seat in District 92.
Neither Beran nor Hora has held political office before, but Hora has run against state Sen. Kevin Kinney in the past. Hora is a farmer from rural Washington County, while Beran is from Kalona and is retired from a career in publishing, writing, editing and graphics.
Hora won the Republican primary in June against Washington Mayor Jaron Rosien, while Beran was nominated to run by a convention of Democrats after the primary.
House District 92 covers all of Washington County and parts of Johnson County, including Hills and Lone Tree.
To help voters, the Press-Citizen sent questions to all Iowa City area legislative candidates. Their answers appear in alphabetical order by last name and have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Hora chose not to fill out the Press-Citizen's questionnaire. For the benefit of voters, the Press-Citizen has pulled together some of her recent statements on issues related to the questions where possible.
There was a voter forum held for Senate District 46 in early October, but Hora did not show up, citing a scheduling conflict.
Early voting for the Nov. 8 election starts Oct. 19. More information about how to register to vote, what's on the ballot and where to vote can be found at https://www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/auditor/elections.
Who is Eileen Beran?
Age: 68
Party: Democrat
Where did you grow up? St. Paul, Minnesota
Current town of residence: Kalona
Education: Bachelor's degree in English literature, University of Minnesota
Occupation: Retired
Political experience and civic activities: League of Women Voters of Johnson County member. Volunteer at Table to Table food rescue nonprofit in Iowa City.
Who is Heather Hora?
Age: 52
Party: Republican
Where did you grow up? Minneapolis, Minnesota
Current town of residence: Washington County
Education: Did not answer.
Occupation: Farmer at H.K. Farms
Political experience and civic activities: Candidate for Iowa Senate against state Sen. Kevin Kinney in 2018. Active in political lobbying for pork and corn production in Iowa. Served on the Iowa Pork Producers Association Board.
What would be your top issue should you be elected?
Beran: My top issue would be education: Keep public funds in public schools, restore Iowa's reputation for top-ranked education, and increase teacher and staff pay to keep up with inflation.
Hora: Did not answer.
Iowans are struggling with rising costs and inflation. What can the state do to help them make ends meet?
Beran: To help Iowans make ends meet, the state should work on ways to raise minimum wages, ensure working families do not carry the bulk of the tax burden, create affordable housing, and support affordable child care.
Hora: Did not answer.
What do you believe Iowa’s abortion policy should be? Do you think abortion should be banned entirely? Do you think Iowa should have no restrictions? If you believe there should be some restrictions, please be specific about the restrictions and the exceptions you support.
Beran: I believe patients should have the freedom to make decisions about abortion in the privacy of the health care setting. The majority of Iowans supported Roe v. Wade: privacy in the first trimester and exceptions to preserve life or health of the mother after that. I am willing to support current state restrictions and am not in favor of further restrictions.
Hora: Did not answer. Hora has told the Press-Citizen in the past that she she believes life starts at conception but said she needs to do more research before deciding if she's in favor of more restrictive laws in Iowa.
The Legislature will likely consider a proposal again providing private school scholarships using funding from public schools in the next legislative session. Is this a plan you would support?
Beran: No.
Hora: Did not answer. Hora is a supporter of the proposal providing private school scholarships using funding from public schools and received Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' endorsement in the primaries for this position.
What new laws, if any, do you believe Iowa should pass regarding guns?
Beran: I believe people under 21 should be prohibited from purchasing military-style weapons and that violent felons, persons convicted of domestic violence, and those at risk of self-harm should be unable to purchase or possess firearms if they are a danger to themselves or others.
Hora: Did not answer.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Get to know Iowa House District 92 election candidates
