Boulton makes impromptu stop at The Mill

As state Senator and gubernatorial candidate Nate Boulton most certainly learned on Friday morning, political campaigns aren’t always glamorous.
           
The 37-year-old Democrat stopped at The Mill just off of Highway 20 and spent the majority of his hour long visit with a pair of retired Republicans from the Parkersburg area talking health care, education, tax incentives and agricultural policy over coffee before soldiering on with his Hometown Values Tour amidst flurries and temperatures dipping into the low 30s.
           
Boulton, a Des Moines lawyer and Columbus Junction native who is considered a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination along with businessman Fred Hubbell, originally planned the event for a farm east of Dike but was forced to change his schedule at the last minute due to weather conditions. Dressed in a brown blazer and blue jeans, he offered several pointed critiques of current Republican Governor Kim Reynolds: namely, that her efforts to privatize Medicaid and close mental health facilities have placed an unnecessary strain on some of Iowa’s most vulnerable residents.
           
“It’s not only a moral issue. It’s fiscally irresponsible,” he said. “If we’re saving a dollar on mental health today, we’re likely spending $10 to $30 in the future for that dollar.” 
 
Despite the points of disagreement between Boulton and the constituents he engaged with, Democratic State Senate candidate Tracy Freese of Dike, who organized the gathering, urged a more cordial and collaborative political future.
           
“Let’s have the debate, duke it out, get some good business and then go have a beer afterwards,” she said. “I feel like we’re so divisive, and I know that that’s something that’s on the minds of average people… it’s all about beating the other and not what’s good for America.” 
 
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