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Lt. Gov. Gregg rallies Republicans in Marshalltown

T-R PHOTO BY MIKE DONAHEY - Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg addresses the local Pachyderm Herd club Friday at Legends American Grill.

Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg touted his campaign’s record to local Pachyderm Herd Club members and others during a meeting Friday at Legends American Grill.

After serving in office 16 months with fellow Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, Gregg said Reynolds’ record is one of achievement. He cited passage of legislation aimed at improving water quality, mental health, job training and more.

“Gov. Reynolds asked the legislature to pass a water quality bill and they did unanimously in bi-partisan fashion,” he said. “That was a major accomplishment, passing a complex bill like that in two weeks.”

Gregg also said the state’s unemployment level of 2.5 percent is at an 18-year low and one of the lowest nationally. Gregg hit back at naysayers who doubt the U.S. News & World Report magazine’s ranking of Iowa as No. 1 quality of life in the U.S.

“How can one promote Iowa as a place to do business, to start and grow and business, if you do not believe the ranking is correct?” he said.

Gregg said Democratic opponent Fred Hubbell has been on the sidelines as a critic, while Reynolds has been fighting the day-to-day battles to make Iowa better. Other candidates on the ballot for governor are the Libertarian Party’s Jake Porter and Gary Siegwarath of the Clean Water Party.

Reynolds and Gregg will have to convince the majority of undecided voters the Reynolds-Gregg team deserves a full term. A recent Des Moines Register poll showed Hubbell with a slight lead over Reynolds with less than 40 days remaining until the Nov. 6 election.

Gregg asked for audience members’ votes, support of other Republicans at the county and state level and help during the campaign.

“We have a very competitive governor’s race this year and it is important we pay attention to that,” Gregg said. “But I also know it is important because the issues I talk about affect every race up and down the ballot. Most of them affect your life.”

One attendee asked Gregg about Medicare privatization. Former Gov. Terry Branstad privatized the program — which some claimed had been efficiently run by the state before doing so.

Democrats and some media outlets have been extremely critical of the privatization, considering it chaos.

However, Gregg said the previous program’s spending was “ballooning” and ripe with fraud. Later, he commended Reynolds for having the political courage to admit the privatization initiative had “shortcomings.”

“Gov. Reynolds had a new Department of Health and Human Services director appointed, a new Medicare director appointed and a new actuary also appointed to make the privatization effort more efficient.”

After graduating from Drake Law School in 2009, Gregg, a Hawarden native, entered private practice with a Des Moines law firm. Later, he served as the state’s public defender and also served as a legislative aide for former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s administration.

Gregg ran unsuccessfully against Tom Miller for Attorney General in 2014. Reynolds then picked Gregg as her lieutenant governor in May 2017. Gregg, 35, is married with two children residing in Johnston.

Editor’s note: This story corrected Gregg’s quote about the previous Medicaid program to “spending was ‘ballooning’ and ripe with fraud.”

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