Democratic gubernatorial candidate DeJear headlines North Iowa Women’s Rally

MASON CITY — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deidre DeJear was the keynote speaker at the North Iowa Women’s Rally in downtown Mason City Saturday afternoon.

DeJear encouraged people to get out and vote despite some discouraging Democratic losses in the past.  “But us women, we can be hard on each other. We’re hard on ourselves, and we expect a lot of ourselves and each other. Sometimes we expect a lot of our vote. We go and we casted our vote and we said it better work this time, but I don’t want us to be discouraged by the past votes not working the way we wanted them to work. I want us to be encouraged by the strength that we have to look forward to today.”

DeJear says this election cycle is about Iowans’ freedoms.  “Supreme Court nine years ago relinquished its duty to protect our right to vote to the states, and look at what’s happened to our right to vote. The degradation of the Voting Rights Act, including in states like ours as early as last year. This year, the Supreme Court relinquished its duty to protect a woman’s right to choose. It said states get ready. Are we ready?”

DeJear says she was disappointed in the recent voter turnout of younger people in Cerro Gordo County.  “18-to-24 year old Democrats, Cerro Gordo County, 46%. 25-to-34 year old Cerro Gordo County, 41% turnout. Can we do better than that?”

According to recent polls, DeJear has a lot of work to do in the final month of the campaign to win over voters. Republican Governor Kim Reynolds leads DeJear by 17 points in the latest Emerson College Poll.

DeJear and Reynolds will hold their only debate of the campaign next Monday night on Iowa PBS.