Republican Chris McGowan is prioritizing affordability, protecting landowners’ rights, ensuring civil discourse in politics and supporting members of the military.
McGowan, former Siouxland Chamber of Commerce president, is running for northwestern Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, laid out his campaign priorities during the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair on Monday, Aug. 17.
“This is chamber of commerce weather,” McGowan said, referencing the clear blue skies above.
Iowa’s 4th District seat opened up after current U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra mounted an unsuccessful campaign for Iowa governor. The deep-red district has only sent Republicans to Congress over the last three decades.
Here’s what McGowan said at Soapbox:
McGowan urges ‘prudent’ use of arms, support for members of military
McGowan, a veteran and son of a Vietnam War vet, spoke about the importance of supporting retired and current members of the military.
“As the father of five who are serving in uniform today, I want to make sure that our country is doing everything in our power to make sure that those young men and women have access to everything they need to be safe and to be effective,” McGowan said. “I also think that means that the federal government has a responsibility to be extremely prudent in the use of arms.”
Recalling a recent conversation with President Donald Trump, who endorsed him, McGowan said he stressed the importance of judging the military’s success both by “the wars we win” and “the wars we never get into.”
When reporters asked after his speech about potential guardrails on U.S. military involvement in the Iran War, McGowan said action would need to be justified by an “imminent threat.”
“If we’re going to commit young men and women to serve in harm’s way, the threat has to be worth what we’re asking the young men and women to do,” McGowan said. “It has to justify the use of force after all diplomacy has failed.”
McGowan aims to serve on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee to have an “outspoken and outsized voice supporting veterans,” and those currently serving in the military, adding that he would advocate for funding to repair the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City during the congressional earmarking process.
McGowan promises to ‘stand firm with property owners’ against use of eminent domain
McGowan hit on the use of eminent domain, a prominent issue in northwestern Iowa where a proposed carbon capture pipeline was originally set to slice through many parcels of private farmland to sequester carbon dioxide from ethanol plants.
While balancing the importance of supporting farmers and other economic development opportunities in rural areas in his district with the rights of landowners, McGowan sided with protecting private property.
“I understand the importance of increasing markets for farmers, to have more places to sell corn, to make sure that we can increase the price on a bushel of corn. But I can’t allow the seizure of the same farmer’s property for a project that they don’t support or never intended for their land to be used for,” McGowan said.
During his speech, he referenced a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court case, Kelo v. New London, resulting in a 5-4 ruling allowing the government to seize private land for private development qualifying as “public use.” The case involved one family’s farmland that was seized to develop a strip mall.
“What if in another case they decided, ‘I’m going to seize your farmland for a strip club?’ How are you going to feel about that? The vast majority of us are going to say, no, absolutely not,” McGowan said.
He said he would consider viewpoints from all sides of the issue when asked by a reporter whether he would be in favor of repealing the 45Q and 45Z tax credits that provide financial incentives for carbon capture pipelines.
Emphasizing importance of civil discourse in politics
McGowan said he intends to help bring back the civil discourse that has been lost in American politics, vowing to lead the way in making sure people can “disagree without being disagreeable.”
“I know that my opponent and I are going to disagree on the issues, and that’s OK. But we need to do that without being disagreeable,” McGowan told reporters after his speech. “We need to elevate the conversation and be an example and role models to others.”
It was a note similar to the one struck by his Democratic opponent, Dave Dawson, during his own Register Political Soapbox speech last week. Both recalled meeting for the first time at the Woodbury County Fair this summer and having a cordial conversation about their families and the election.
“We’ve seen too much tension, too much vitriol, sometimes even spreading to violence. And it doesn’t need to be that way,” McGowan told reporters. “It shouldn’t be that way. We have the unique opportunity in this country to settle our political differences with ballots, not bullets.”
Rapid Response Politics Reporter Maya Marchel Hoff can be reached at mmarchelHoff@registermedia.com. You can find her on X (formerly Twitter) at @mmarchelhoff.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Candidate Chris McGowan urges ‘prudent use of arms’ at Register’s Soapbox
Reporting by Maya Marchel Hoff, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Maya Marchel Hoff, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
