One of six remaining gubernatorial candidates for the Democratic Party nomination made her way to Stuart for a meet and greet last night. Dr. Andy McGuire addressed some local residents in the basement of the Stuart Saints Center. Iowa House District 20 Democratic Party candidate and Stuart resident Warren Varley began the evening with remarks on increasing quality of education and economic development.

McGuire picked up on those remarks, but focused the majority of her address on improving healthcare. A physician by profession, McGuire explains why she believes Iowa’s next governor needs to be a doctor. “With Medicaid crisis, with mental health crisis, with women’s health, with nursing homes and insurance,(and with) public health. I’ve spent my whole life in healthcare. As a doctor and as someone who’s administered healthcare, I have a grasp for that that I don’t think any other candidate has. So I think it’s really important that we have somebody who understands that…I can tell you, I can solve these problems.”

Like Varley, the former Iowa Democratic Party Chair discussed improvements in education. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio who she would consult first on school safety. “The first thing I would do is talk to teachers and administrators. I think one of the things we don’t do well is we don’t talk to people on the ground. They know the best way to handle this.”

Former Presidential candidate Howard Dean and over 40 medical professionals have endorsed the Waterloo native. McGuire has connections to the area, with relatives hailing from Stuart and Guthrie County.