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Hartsuch kicks off campaign for House

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By Ed Tibbetts | Friday, July 11, 2008 |

WALCOTT, Iowa — Standing in front of a huge fuel storage tank here, Iowa Sen. David Hartsuch said Friday the country’s energy woes will be at the center of his campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa.

Hartsuch, a Bettendorf Republican, said the country needs to drill for more oil in the United States and expand its nuclear capabilities in addition to encouraging renewable fuel use.

“Drilling is not enough, but drill we must,” he said.

Hartsuch blamed the government and “environmental radicals” for holding back production. With gas averaging more than $4 in the United States, energy is a top drawer issue in this year’s elections.

In fact, Hartsuch focused almost exclusively on domestic matters in his announcement at the Iowa 80 Truck Stop. He mentioned the war in Iraq only once, saying conditions are improving.

“I hope that we will go forward and finally bring our troops home after having built a more stable Iraq,” he said.

He also faulted Congress for spending time on hearings into such things as steroid use in baseball, while inflation and energy prices have gone up and earmarks have proliferated.

“Washington has been completely ineffective in dealing with any of these issues,” he said.

Hartsuch said he wants to put an end to earmarking.

Hartsuch mainly focused his attention on congressional Democrats but did mention Braley by name, saying his support for stopping acquisition of oil for the nation’s strategic reserves is insufficient to deal with rising gas prices.

Nicole Buseman, a Braley spokesman, responded the measure provides “immediate relief” and that the congressman also is taking other steps. She noted he voted two weeks ago for a measure that would require oil companies to use acreage they’ve already leased for drilling.

A physician, Hartsuch is in the middle of his first term in the Iowa Senate. He surprised Republicans by challenging longtime incumbent state Sen. Maggie Tinsman two years ago in his first try at elective office here. He leveraged support among social conservatives to win the primary and went on to win the general election narrowly over Democrat Phyllis Thede.

This year’s congressional race is getting off to a slow start compared with last cycle, when Braley, a Waterloo lawyer, and Republican Mike Whalen battled for months over the 1st District seat. The race was closely watched nationally and millions of dollars were spent on the race.

This time, Hartsuch is starting later. He’s also far behind Braley in fundraising. Hartsuch filed a report last week that showed he had raised $16,655 through the end of June and had $12,664 in the bank.

Braley, on the other hand, raised $640,129 through mid-May and had $335,633 in the bank.

Hartsuch, who said earlier he planned to raise $1 million, acknowledged the difficulty of fundraising. He even joked that while he had raised enough money to make it to Waterloo, another stop on his announcement tour Friday, he might have to take up a collection to get back.

Still, he said the race is winnable.

“Regardless of the funding of the two campaigns, I do believe that ultimately the voters will decide who is best fit to serve in this office,” he said.

Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com.