Facing continually more pressing concerns with trade agreements and immigration, primary challengers from his own party and Democratic challenger J.D. Scholten — who came within three points of beating the incumbent in 2018 — King warded off concerns about several controversial comments since 2018 that have prompted some Republican leaders to distance themselves from the congressman.

“I’m a supporter of you, but what you’ve said lately — you’re kind of choking a cat. Everybody gets tired of hearing it,” said Mark Ketchum ,of Eagle Grove. “How are you representing us that we should still vote for you?”

“This thing isn’t on me,” King responded, “It’s on Kevin McCarthy and the New York Times.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, stripped King of his committee assignments at the beginning of last year following bipartisan rebukes of a New York Times interview in which King was quoted asking when “white supremacist” and “white nationalist” became offensive terms. King has disputed the comment as a misquote.

-Messenger photo by Elijah Decious
Mark Ketchum, of Eagle Grove, asks U.S. Rep. Steve King to take the opportunity to make his case directly to voters. Though Ketchum has supported King in the past, he said he will consider other GOP challengers in next year’s election.

On Wednesday, King said “both sides” of the aisle were interested in persecuting him.

As far as accomplishments, he primarily cited his role in helping to get the FDA to release experimental treatments early to Jaycee Hermstad, a Spencer woman fighting an extremely rare and aggressive form of ALS that her twin sister died of eight years ago.

Ketchum said he was satisfied with King’s answer, but remains concerned with the congressman’s preoccupation with fighting off criticism from both parties. The voter said he’s open to considering King’s GOP primary challengers, but won’t cross out King prematurely.

“He gave me good enough answers today that I feel like I can (support him),” said Ketchum. “I know he’s a good man and he works hard.”

Since the last election though, King has been no stranger to press coverage.

-Messenger photo by Elijah Decious
u.s. Rep. Steve King has come under fire from those in his own party for recent remarks on abortion with regards to rape and incest.

At a Cherokee town hall in April, King related the experience to the crucifixion of Jesus.

“When I have to step down to the floor of the House of Representatives and look up at those 400-and-some accusers — you know we just passed through Easter and Christ’s passion — and I have better insight into what He went through for us, partly because of that experience,” he said.

In August, he came under fire from his own party again for questioning whether there would be “any population of the world left” if it were not for rape and incest, defending his stance against abortion that would leave no exceptions for victims of such circumstances.

Two weeks ago, Sen. Joni Ernst asked voters to carefully consider all the candidates running for the incumbent’s spot in Congress, citing concerns against a returning Democratic challenger.

This week, King told Eagle Grove constituents that he doesn’t plan on moderating the way he’s conducted business as he approaches 2020.

“Every time I send out a tweet or every time I say anything, everything is scrutinized, and I know that,” he said to the room of about 80, where multiple cameras were livestreaming or recording. “But I’m not about to walk around and not do my job.”

But some of those selected for questions, including those who voted for him in the last election as he faced controversy, seemed concerned with his ability to do just that, presenting anecdotes from their own experiences that they’d like to see represented in the House.

Ethanol

“We’re getting beaten down pretty hard,” said Eagle Grove farmer Jerry Maier, asking if any help was on the way to mitigate damages done to ethanol producers by the Trump administration’s grant of 31 small refinery waivers that have allowed oil companies like Exxon-Mobil to bypass ethanol blending requirements.

King reported that President Trump’s administration appears to be committed to adding 500,000 gallons to next year’s Renewable Fuel Standard target, about one-third of what he says producers have lost.

“The question is did he actually understand the implications of it and how this cascades through farm communities and industries? I’m not sure. … I don’t expect he’ll back up on the (small refinery exemption) waivers.”

King said he has introduced legislation to ensure zero net loss of ethanol production by putting gallons rejected by companies receiving waivers into the next target.

Trade

“Why should we put you back in Congress when you hurt trade with corn and soybeans,” asked Craig Voss, citing King’s support of President Trump with tit for tat escalations in a trade war with China with no end in sight.

Voss concurred with the pains voiced by another farmer who said there were no highlights for them in the future with $1 losses on corn and $1.50 losses on soybeans.

“I don’t know if there’s a member of Congress that’s doing as much as I am,” on trade, King replied.

King cited his support of the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement, which he believes will pass in the coming months, doubling as leverage against China in the trade war Republicans have said is justified by intellectual property theft.

“They’re profiting a great deal from piracy of American ideas,” he said, citing figures upwards of $500 billion.

“Half a trillion dollars in American creativity, the Chinese can’t create like Americans can,” King added. “Their culture doesn’t lend itself to that.”

Immigration

Following reports of King’s visit to immigrant detention facilities in Texas, Shannon Walker of Eagle Grove wanted to know why the country isn’t making it easier for potential workers to fill a shortage for labor at the local Prestage packing plant, which is facing large shortages of employees to run at full capacity.

King said that there are millions of people out of the labor force that the country should be tapping into to fill labor shortages.

“Meat packers can’t compete with the welfare system we have here,” he said to echoes of enthusiasm in the front rows.

The congressman reported the conditions inside immigration detention facilities were humane, and that the water he drank from a toilet was “actually pretty good.”

That was in reference to conditions at the facilities cited by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D — New York, as abysmal.

“It’s not drinking out of the toilet, it’s drinking out of the water fountain,” attached to the toilet’s tank, he explained. “But I think there was a little language barrier there and that’s how we got that misinformation.”