Democratic senators campaign for Obama in battleground Iowa

Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told Iowa voters Sunday why they should reelect President Obama on Nov. 6.

Harkin pointed to the Affordable Care Act, which he said allowed thousands of young Iowans to remain on their parent’s health insurance until age 26, according the The Quad-City Times.

“I believe Iowans are going to say ‘yes’ to four more years of Barack Obama,” Harkin said Sunday at the Obama for America Davenport office.

But the Times reported that GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s campaign in Iowa disagreed with Harkin’s assessment.

“Mitt Romney is going to win Iowa on Tuesday, and the state that launched Barack Obama’s historic run for the White House will politely ask to have its vote back,” said David Kochel, chief Romney strategist for Iowa.

Iowa is considered a battleground state, with Obama holding a slight lead over Romney.

Durbin and Harkin also touted Obama’s job creation efforts for the Hawkeye State, using the examples of more funding for ethanol production, supporting the Rock Island Arsenal and Thomson Correctional Center.

“Barack Obama broke the logjam for the Thomson prison, which will create 1,100 good jobs on both sides of the river,” Durbin said. “He’s worked with us at a time to create jobs when we’ve needed them the most.”

The two senators appeared with Randy Johnson, who talked about how he lost his job at American Pad & Paper LLC (Ampad), which was owned by Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital.

“Bain Capital fired everyone, and put us to the street,” Johnson said. “Why didn’t [Romney] get involved? This is a guy who says he can fix things. ... He wants to bring that business record to the White House. They left Ampad $400 million in debt — and walked away.”

Romney has run on his business record, saying he can create more jobs than Obama has in the past four years.

“After four years of failure, it is clear that the president and his campaign have nothing to offer but false and misleading attacks,” said Shawn McCoy, Iowa communications director for Romney for President. “Mitt Romney has a record of job creation and real-world experience that President Obama can’t match. And his plan for a stronger middle class will accomplish what President Obama has failed to do — grow the economy and create good jobs.”

Harkin and Durbin also campaigned in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sunday.

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