OTTUMWA — Going back to her days as a hospital chaplain to her time in the Iowa Senate, there is a core principle Sarah Trone Garriott has tried to live by.

“I like to solve problems and I like to help my neighbors,” she said Friday on the first stop of her “Faith In Iowa” tour at Hotel Ottumwa. “That’s why I’ve done everything I’ve done in my life.”

Trone Garriott, a pastor and Democratic candidate to replace two-term incumbent Zach Nunn in Iowa’s 3rd District to the U.S. House of Representatives, kicked off her tour in Ottumwa, one of the largest communities in the district, but one that has trended into the Republican column in the last few election cycles.

Still, she said she’s aware of the struggles in the community, namely the closure of the MercyOne clinic in February, as well as the increased costs of most things residents rely on.

“This community deserves to have a representative that shows up for them,” said Trone Garriott, who has won multiple state races in conservative areas. “After his vote to cut healthcare funding closed Ottumwa’s clinic, Zach Nunn has refused to face the people who were affected.”

Trone Garriott answered questions from a crowd of about 50 people during the stop, which is a 21-county tour in 21 days, reflecting the number of counties in the district.

She continued to champion a healthcare system in which “people who like their private insurance can keep it,” but that “we should be able to guarantee a basic level of care.” She said the rising costs are where the government needs to start.

“We have to find a mix of solutions for different kinds of situations and different kinds of needs,” she said. “We should protect and shore up the Affordable Care Act, reverse the medicaid cuts and restore support for health systems.

“We want to make the whole system work better for everyone.”

Other topics that Trone Garriott discussed include:

Higher costs

From fuel, food and fertilizer to health insurance, Trone Garriott said rising costs are the result of policy decisions made at the federal level.

“There are a lot of folks choosing between groceries and gas right now. Order No. 1 is putting an end to these chaotic tariffs. They can have a place if they’re thought out, but what we see is chaos that is wreaking havoc on our economy, and they’ve destroyed our soybean markets,” she said. “And the people are paying the bill. We see a lot of corruption where people are making money off of our struggle and our higher costs. Someone is benefiting, but it’s not us right now.

“Zach Nunn promised he was going to lower costs, but instead, we now have a war in Iran that he is supporting without any congressional oversight. It’s spring planting time and fertilizer is through the roof. About 40% of farmers say they can’t afford their fertilizer. They’re making hard decisions about selling land and getting rid of equipment. It’s been a tough year for our farm economy.”

Federal budget

Trone Garriott was asked about the high costs of healthcare and childcare, and what could be done to reverse the Trump tax cuts, many of which are paid for by passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“Choosing tax cuts has shown over and over that they don’t benefit our economy, because that money just goes into savings or investments to generate more wealth. It doesn’t actually go to create jobs,” she said.

“Childcare yields a tremendous return and benefit for our country. Every dollar we invest in kids yields a $6 return in their future success, their education and productivity. When our president says we can’t afford to pay for daycare, my question is, ‘How can we not afford to?’ If we get to spend a billion dollars a day on a war, we can invest in our kids, or we can keep the clinic in Ottumwa open. We just need the right leaders who are going to stand up for those priorities.”

Citizens United and other reforms

State senate candidate Brenda Case asked Trone Garriott for her thoughts on Citizens United, which allows unlimited outside money to fund campaigns. However, she said Citizens United is just one piece of campaign finance and electoral reforms that need to take place.

“We need to overturn Citizens United, but I filed a term limits bill in the Iowa Senate, and I am willing to back term limits in Congress,” she said. “We need to reform campaign finance so ordinary people can run for office. It’s really hard to be an ordinary person and do this.

“Right now at the state level, a lot of people are retired or they’re independently wealthy. It’s really hard for a firefighter or a teacher to serve in those roles, and even harder to be able to serve in Washington,” she said. “We really need to change that because the millionaires and billionaires don’t understand what life is like for the majority of us, and they shouldn’t be making the decisions that impact our lives.”

Trone Garriott also said she would vote to ban stock trading by members of Congress, and she will ban corporate PAC money.

“My support comes from lots and lots of people helping and supporting my campaign,” she said. “Zach’s comes from political leaders and PAC money. So we’re kind of the opposite there. But it also asks, ‘Who are you beholden to? Who are you working for?'”

Gerrymandering

Recently, several states have approved mid-decade gerrymandering to either protect vulnerable congressional seats or add seats. California and Virginia voters approved those measures at the ballot box.

Trone Garriott lauded Iowa’s nonpartisan drawing of maps, which is done through the Legislative Services Agency.

“I think (gerrymandering) is wrong. Just because someone else did it first doesn’t mean that makes it right, and I would ban gerrymandering in Congress,” she said. “Politicians picking their own voters doesn’t seem right to me.

“In Iowa, we have it in code how the process unfolds. I think there are a number of ways we could look at some federal standards to protect folks so lawmakers aren’t just saying they’re going to change the districts to make them more favorable to stay in power.”

Trust in government

Both political parties have low approval ratings, and Trone Garriott addressed the lack of trust in legislators, something she said didn’t happen overnight.

This was an area she believed her past could guide her future.

“I think the most important thing about building trust is showing up for people. When I was a chaplain, I worked at a children’s hospital in Chicago and my job was to be there and present for everyone,” she said. “I would go floor to floor, talk to people cleaning the rooms, security guards, the parents who couldn’t sleep at night, the kids who were awake.

“That was how I built trust, by showing up so I could do those things. You all deserve elected leaders who show up for everybody, so that you can hold us accountable, so you can help us understand the issues in a way we need to hear so we can do a better job. That’s just the basics.

“I am committed when I am in Congress, that I will have good constituent services and my staff will be responsive, that I will be in the district and I will hold open town halls. A lot of people can really feel let down by our political system. We have a lot of really important work ahead of us, and I would love to solve problems together.”

Original article published in the Ottumwa Courier.

Photo credit: Chad Drury, Ottumwa Courier