Attack complaint against longtime Dubuque Democrat

DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – A new political ad from the Iowa Republican Party takes aim at a longtime House Democrat on taxes, immigrant health care and social media safety policies.

Democrat Chuck Isenhart is running for an eighth term in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing part of Dubuque. Republican Jennifer Smith is trying to unseat him for the second time. She lost two years ago by just 96 votes.

With a new ad she tackles his long term in parliament.

The first claim in the ad is: “Isenhart voted to give free health care to illegal immigrants and made Iowa pay the price.”

This claim dates to the 2018 legislative session. Republicans introduced an amendment to the Iowa Constitution guaranteeing the right to bear arms. In protest, Democrats proposed additional amendments, including one guaranteeing the right to health care.

The amendment does not talk about free healthcare for illegal immigrants. It states “low cost” and “affordable,” indicating that the user would still have to pay for it. The only free health care in Iowa comes through the federal programs Medicaid and Medicare, which specifically exclude undocumented immigrants who are here illegally. The only care they are covered for is life-saving emergency care.

Republicans blocked the vote on all Democrats’ amendments. This means that Isenhart never voted on it.

The second claim in the ad states, “He has tried to raise taxes and block income tax cuts.” He even voted against eliminating the retirement income tax.”

In 2023, Isenhart introduced a bill that would have increased the sales tax and directed the additional revenue to the Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund for water quality projects. The bill was referred to the Ways and Means Committee but did not proceed further.

Isenhart voted against Governor Reynolds’ 2022 tax cut, which changed Iowa’s income tax to a flat 3.9 percent regardless of how much money Iowans make. This bill also eliminated taxes on retirement income. But it’s worth noting that this year he voted for a bill that lowered the tax rate and accelerated its effect.

A third claim in the ad states: “He allowed social media giants to exploit our children’s data for profit.”

Isenhart was part of the House committee that rejected a social media bill earlier this year. Parental consent would have been required for Iowans under 18 to access a social media account.

Parental permission was also required for social media companies to collect data about their children’s accounts. Federal law already requires parental consent on social media for those under 13.

You can watch the full commercial on KCRG-TV9. The people of Dubuque County will go to the polls on November 5th to participate in this and several other races.

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