KCCI: Commitment 2018: Axne vying for spot in U.S. House of Representatives
October 24, 2018
By Todd Magel
DES MOINES, Iowa —Iowa has never elected a woman to the U.S. House of Representatives, and 3rd District Democratic nominee Cindy Axne hopes to be the first.
Axne is running against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. David Young.
She says it is time for a fresh face in the 3rd District and she wants to be part of the blue wave predicted for Nov. 6.
“I think people understand this is the most important election of our lifetimes,” Axne said.
She said the No. 1 reason she chose to run for Congress is to better represent Iowans.
“Even though Iowans are playing by the rules and working incredibly hard nobody is looking out for us in Washington,” Axne said. “And we need that so we can have the opportunities for our families to be successful.”
Axne said she knows she has her work cut out for her because Young has won the 3rd District seat twice.
“We need somebody in Washington who will always stand up for what’s right and who’s not going to be beholden to political party leadership or corporations and the wealthy,” she said. “One of the big differences between me and my opponent is that I refused to take corporate PAC money. I think we should always be working for the people.”
The longtime Democrat said working for former Iowa governors Tom Vilsack, Chet Culver and Terry Branstad give her the experience to be a good congressional leader.
“In my role, I had the opportunity to help root out waste in the system, helping to save the state tens of millions of dollars without cutting services,” Axne said. “So that’s the background I bring to the table. I’m also a small business owner and the mom of two teenage boys, so I absolutely understand the struggles that Iowa families are facing.”
Axne said she hopes turmoil in the Trump administration will help her and hurt Young in their tight race.
“(Young has) been with President Trump every single step of the way, so if people are getting out and they are excited about me, I think they are not happy with what they’re seeing in Washington,” she said.
Most of all, Axne says she hopes voters send her to Washington on Nov. 6.
“This is a really tight race, this will be won on the margins and we need every single person out to vote,” she said.