(West Des Moines, IA) Two months after winning the Democratic Primary, Cindy Axne today called on Congressman David Young to respond to the numerous debate invitations the candidates have received in the past eight weeks, including requests from KCCI-TV in Des Moines, The Des Moines Register, KETV-TV, and Simpson College. Each outlet has yet to hear from Congressman Young regarding scheduling the debates, and Simpson College has heard nothing from the Congressman in the 27 days since issuing the debate invitation.
As a reminder, the day after Axne overwhelmingly won her party’s nomination, Congressman Young attempted to unilaterally dictate the fall debate schedule by sending a letter to the Axne campaign. The letter “informed” the campaign which debates Congressman Young would be participating in. That list included debates hosted by KMA Radio, WHO Radio and Iowa Public Television. In response, Axne challenged Young to 16 debates, one in each county in the 3rd District and has heard nothing back.
Cindy Axne said “Two months ago, I challenged Congressman Young to 16 debates, one in every county of the 3rd District, and heard nothing. Today, I call on Congressman Young to step up to the plate and agree to debate the issues in front of all the voters that want to hear from us. Iowans deserve to hear first-hand why Congressman Young continues to put his party above hard-working families and why he voted to raise our healthcare costs and give tax breaks to wealthy corporations at our community’s expense.”
About Cindy Axne:
Cindy Axne is a fifth-generation Iowan, a small business owner, parent and community activist. She grew up in a tight-knit family on the south side of Des Moines with weekends and summers spent on her maternal grandparents’ farm in Warren County, 4-H activities, and playing 6-on-6 basketball for the Valley High Tigers. Her parents raised Cindy and her sisters to speak their minds and not be afraid to take on tough fights – even when it was uncomfortable. That is the principle that has defined Cindy’s adult life – from working to keep state government accountable to the people it serves, to advocating for all-day kindergarten for every child in West Des Moines, and fighting to fix our broken health care system.
