U.S. Senate candidate Jackie Norris also firmly denounced political violence in the country.

“It is not a left wing problem, it is not a right wing problem, it is an American problem,” she said. “There’s no place for political violence.”

Ashley Wolf Tornabane, who is running for the Democratic nomination in the Fourth Congressional District, said she is committed to establishing publicly funded universal health care. She said such a system would cost less than the current Medicare and Medicaid systems the government currently runs.

About 85 people attended the event at the Lions Den in Armstrong Park. Those in attendance frequently interrupted speakers with applause and cheers.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Dave Dawson, a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the Fourth Congressional District, introduces himself to Webster County Democrats Sunday evening during an event at the Lions Den.

While most of the candidates who spoke Sunday evening will not be on the ballot until 2026, Rachel Burns, of Odebolt, will face the voters much sooner than that.

The speech therapist, volunteer firefighter, emergency medical technician and medical examiner investigator is the Democratic candidate for Iowa House District 7. Mike Sexton, a Republican from Rockwell City, resigned that seat on Friday to become the director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rural development programs in Iowa. Gov. Kim Reynolds will schedule a special election to fill the vacancy.

“I want to effect change in health care, education and day-to-day survival,” Burns said.

“At the state level we can make real progress for the common good,” she added.

As an example, she cited New Mexico implementing a universal day care program.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Nate Willems, the Democratic candidate for Iowa attorney general, speaks Sunday evening in Fort Dodge.

But she said there is much work to be done.

She said the health care budget cuts recently enacted at the federal level will have “devastating, cascading effects throughout the system.”

She added that Iowans pay $300 million for “corrupt school vouchers” and the Area Education Agency system is being “dismantled.”

Burns also called for raising the minimum wage.

“No one can live on the $7.25 an hour Iowa minimum wage,” she said.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Ryan Peterman, the Democratic candidate for Iowa secretary of state, tells Webster County Democrats Sunday evening that he supports voting by mail because that is the way he voted while serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

Wolf Tornabane, of Storm Lake, described herself as “an everyday Iowa.”

She described running for office as a choice between “protecting our democracy or this dumpster fire we are currently in.”

Wolf Tornabane also called for raising the minimum wage.

She denounced efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

“DEI isn’t about giving jobs to unqualified people, it’s about making sure qualified people don’t get excluded because of their differences,” she said.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Ryan Peterman, the Democratic candidate for Iowa secretary of state, tells Webster County Democrats Sunday evening that he supports voting by mail because that is the way he voted while serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

She faces Dave Dawson, of Lawton, for the Democratic nomination. Dawson is a former state representative and current Woodbury County prosecutor.

Dawson called for expanding health care, investing in rural communities and strengthening Social Security.

He said the Big Beautiful Bill Act passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump last summer motivated him to run for Congress.

“We need to focus on putting people first instead of partisan politics,” he said.

Dawson said Iowa’s farmers are hurting because of the loss of overseas markets that he said has been caused by the tariffs Trump has levied.

“I think Congress has abdicated its responsibility on when and how tariffs are implemented,” he said.

Ryan Peterman, the Democratic candidate for secretary of state, said he believes the state needs “someone to work fulltime to protect the right to vote for every eligible Iowan.”

He said he is opposed to restricting the practice of voting by mail, noting that is how he voted while serving as an officer in the United States Navy.

Nate Willems, the Democratic candidate for Iowa attorney general, said the attorney general’s office is the state’s largest law firm and the only one tasked with representing average Iowans every day.

He said if he is elected, “every single day will be a day to go to work for everyday Iowans.”