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Hartsuch speaks out against Leach at fair

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By Charlotte Eby | Friday, August 15, 2008 5:03 AM CDT | () comments

DES MOINES — Bettendorf Republican David Hartsuch railed against former GOP Congressman Jim Leach for crossing party lines to endorse Democrat Barack Obama this week.

Hartsuch, a state senator who is running for Congress in Iowa’s 1st District, said moderate Republicans like Leach don’t represent Republican values.

“They were not Republicans to begin with; they’re not Republicans now,” Hartsuch said during an appearance Thursday at the Iowa State Fair.

Hartsuch said he was surprised Leach decided to back Obama, but doesn’t think the endorsement will mean much.

“I think if anything, I think it’s going to wake a lot of Republicans up and they’re going to realize what kind of leadership we’ve had in our own party, and maybe it’s time to get back to our original core values of limited government and lower taxes,” Hartsuch said.

Hartsuch, a doctor and social conservative, is challenging U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, a Waterloo Democrat who is serving his first term in Congress. Braley spoke at the fair Wednesday.

Hartsuch acknowledged he has raised just $16,000 for his congressional campaign, and said he doesn’t have enough now for campaign literature.

Hartsuch said Republicans generally regard the 1st District as a seat that is not winnable because of recent performances of GOP candidates there.

He criticized Braley for the amount of money he has raised from trial lawyers. An analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics found Braley raised nearly $225,000 from lawyers this cycle.

“I think it’s not a credible campaign to raise millions of dollars out of a certain special-interest group and then spend your whole career working on the particular legislative issues of that constituent … that special-interest group,” Hartsuch said.

Braley campaign spokeswoman Nicole Buseman said Braley wants to focus on bipartisan solutions for helping Iowa families rather than partisan politics.

“Bruce is working hard for Iowa, and he will continue working to decrease our dependence on foreign oil by investing in renewable fuels and to lower taxes for middle-class families,” Buseman said in a statement.

Charlotte Eby can be contacted at (515) 243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.