Tulsi Gabbard

Eric Swalwell

Andrew Yang

Residents from across southwest Iowa came to Stuart to express their concerns about the state and the nation and hear from political leaders Saturday.

Iowa’s Third Congressional District Democratic Party hosted a “Reaching Rural Voters Forum” at the Saints Center for Culture and the Arts. The event largely consisted of a panel discussion with rural leaders and those who have run for political offices, including Warren Varley of Stuart. He shares this advice after running for the State District 20 House seat last November, “You need to start early because the candidate’s most valuable resource is time and I came 3,000 people short of where I needed to be on election day so the only way for them to work is I put time in, all these people did, but the only way to get more time is to start early.”

The panel also discussed topics like the Missouri River flood, soil erosion, the rural economy, and climate change. Presidential candidates Tulsi Gabbard, Eric Swalwell, Andrew Yang also attended the forum, presenting their platforms for the 2020 election, as well as representatives for several other Democratic candidates.