“We know that education is not a partisan issue,” the Democratic candidate for governor said during a Saturday visit to Fort Dodge. “I want to fight to get back to the top. We need leadership that believes we can do better.”

Speaking to about 40 people at Oleson Park, DeJear outlined her plans for improving education. They include:

• Increasing basic aid to public schools.

• Expanding access to early childhood education so that 3- and 4-year-olds can go to school 30 hours a week.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Tommy Coleman, the Democratic candidate for Webster County Board of Supervisors in District 1, talks to a gathering of Democrats Saturday at Oleson Park.

• Adding training in the trades and health care professions to high schools, a move she said will enable new graduates to get jobs and fill critical gaps in the state’s workforce.

DeJear said she would be willing to take some money from the state’s $1.5 billion savings account, sometimes called the rainy day fund, to accomplish her education goals.

“We do need a nest egg, but that’s more than a nest egg,” she said.

DeJear faces Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in the November general election.

“There is a strong pathway for all of us to be successful in this race,” DeJear said.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Webster County Supervisor Niki Conrad speaks during a Democratic gathering Saturday at Oleson Park in Fort Dodge.

The key, she said, is for Democrats to “be our best selves” while inviting independents to the Democratic Party.

DeJear was one of five Democratic candidates to speak during the event Saturday.

Ryan Melton, of Nevada, will face U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, in the Fourth Congressional District.

Melton said protecting the rights of voters will be one of his top priorities.

“We need to penalize politicians that are spreading disinformation that threatens our elections,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Ryan Melton, the Democratic candidate in the Fourth Congressional District, outlines his plans and priorities during a meeting of local Democrats Saturday at Oleson Park in Fort Dodge.

He said he also wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by a “ladder approach” that would gradually increase it.

John Norwood, the nominee for secretary of agriculture, said Iowans need to “think systematically” about water quality and soil loss issues.

He said, every year, Iowa loses 10 times more topsoil than is produced by natural processes.

He added that 1 billion pounds of nitrates are getting into Iowa’s rivers and streams.

Norwood will face Republican incumbent Mike Naig in November.

Webster County Supervisor Niki Conrad, who represents District 4, said she’s very proud of the work the Board of Supervisors has done on things like the restoration of the courthouse clock tower, drainage district improvements, and mass vaccination clinics for COVID. She said she wants to continue “moving Webster County forward in these ways.”

She faces Republican Reggie Simmons in November.

Tommy Coleman will face Republican Austin Hayek in November as they try to replace Webster County Supervisor Keith Dencklau in District 1.

Coleman said Saturday that he hasn’t heard a lot of complaints and added that he thinks the current board is doing a good job.