KETV.com - Campbell, King Spar Over Economy

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Incumbent Suggests Switching US To 'Fair Tax' Plan

The race in Iowa's 5th Congressional District pits a Democrat and his calls for change against a Republican incumbent who often finds himself in the national spotlight on conservative issues.

Democrat Matt Campbell hopes to deny Republican Steve King a fifth term in Congress, saying King is an example of what's not working right for western Iowans.

"People are tired of his tone," Campbell said. "They're ready for someone that's ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work."

Door to door, Campbell told voters that the stimulus package passed by Congress last year, in spite of King's opposition, made a lot of sense.

"We could have been in the second Great Depression of world history," he said. "But they worked." King said that the stimulus is only prolonging the country's problems.

"Whether or not it diminishes the deficit of which we might have otherwise fallen, it certainly delays the recovery because the burden on the economy, of the interest and the principal has to be paid by somebody," King said. "If it's not us in our time, it will be our children and grandchildren in their time."

Campbell said he's a big believer in the middle class, saying he opposes any tax increase that could hurt middle-class families.

King, at a rally in Council Bluffs this week, said he wanted to establish a national "fair tax," a form of sales tax, to replace other current taxes. He said it would be part of a plan to re-establish economic certainty among the business community.

"I've talked to people who have put their business plans on hold because they don't know what tax rate they're going to have and they won't know what type of regulatory burden they're going to have, and that means there are not jobs being created because there's an uncertainty," King said.

Campbell said King is just a polarized right-wing politician.

"There's a lot of people (who are) tired of Steve King," he said. "The only challenge I have is raising my name recognition with the time we've got remaining."

"I love the privilege of being able to get up every day and go out and serve western Iowans," King said. "When I go to bed at night, I have plans the next day. I can't wait to get up and start it all over again."

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