“David Young’s record in Washington speaks for itself. After taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the insurance industry, Young voted to allow those same insurance companies to deny coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and gave a massive handout to wealthy corporations at the expense of middle-class Iowans. After defeating Young, Representative Cindy Axne, on the other hand, has offered a different kind of leadership, working to get real results for Iowa families.” – DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos.
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To: Interested Parties
From: Brooke Goren, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: June 2, 2020
Subject: The Case Against David Young
The primary results in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District set up a rematch between Washington special interest puppet David Young and middle-class champion Cindy Axne.
In 2018, voters rejected former Congressman Young after he caved to Party leaders and special interests a few too many times. Despite pleas from his constituents back home, Young very publicly flipped his vote in favor of raising his constituents’ health care costs when Paul Ryan’s Super PAC threatened to pull its support. Later, Young voted to give his ultra-wealthy donors a tax break while raising taxes and healthcare costs for middle class Iowans.
With a record like his, it should come as no surprise that Young’s latest campaign is once again being propped up by Washington Party leaders and special interest donors. Despite Young’s powerful backers, Rep. Axne has outraised the rejected Congressman every single quarter this cycle, building a war chest of more than $2.6 million cash-on-hand while rejecting corporate PAC money.
In stark contrast with her predecessor, Axne has built a strong record of putting Iowans first in Congress. In 2019, she held the most town hall events of any freshman member, listening to constituents’ concerns and getting to work on the issues that matter most to them. In just 17 months, she introduced legislation to address surprise medical billing, voted to lower prescription drug costs and protect those with pre-existing conditions, and secured much-needed relief funding for Iowans impacted by disasters like flooding across Iowa and the coronavirus pandemic.
Southwest Iowa voters rejected Young’s record in 2018 because it was simply out of touch with the needs of middle-class families. Now, Young will be forced to run on those same liabilities yet again. Still on defense over his vote to raise health care costs to his vote for the GOP tax scam, Young will face an uphill battle convincing Iowans to give him a second chance.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
HEADLINE: Editorial: Young should explain his health vote to Iowans [Des Moines Register Editorial Board, 5/08/17]
HEADLINE: Axne Disaster Recovery Reform Bill passes U.S. House [KMA, 11/20/19]
HEADLINE: Axne legislation addresses ‘surprise’ medical bill charges [Radio Iowa, 9/18/19]
HEADLINE: Cindy Axne Held Most 2019 Town Halls Of Any Freshman Member [Iowa Starting Line, 1/14/20]
“Axne defeated former GOP Rep. David Young by 2 points in 2018. Young is running again, but Axne has a financial advantage in the race…” [Roll Call, 5/15/20]
David Young: Different Election Year, Same Disastrous Record
WHEN IT MATTERED MOST, YOUNG CAVED TO PRESSURE FROM WASHINGTON REPUBLICANS AT IOWANS’ EXPENSE
Some betrayals are just too big to come back from, and David Young breaking his promise to lower health care costs and protect coverage for Iowans with pre-existing conditions is an example of that. Young can run for Congress again, but he’s not going to be able to escape his record of putting special interests and his Washington party bosses ahead of hardworking Iowans.
In 2017, during the height of the health care debate in Congress, David Young told Iowans that he would vote against his party’s health care repeal bill. Immediately afterwards, House Republicans’ Super PAC – the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) – very publicly threatened to pull its support from Young’s re-election bid and closed its field office in his district.
At the time, Young’s spokesperson noted that “Young wouldn’t be swayed by any pressure from political leaders in Washington.” Yet weeks later, Young changed his vote and joined Washington Republicans in passing the AHCA – despite growing pressure from his constituents to vote against it. Campaign finance reports from the time show that David Young took money from Speaker Ryan and his leadership PAC before flipping his vote and betraying his constituents.
In contrast, Representative Cindy Axne has been an independent leader in Washington, standing up to her own party when it makes sense for her constituents. She was one of the first House Democrats to push Speaker Pelosi to take up the United States Mexico-Canada Agreement for Iowa famers and ranchers, and spoke out against a proposed pay raise for members of Congress.
OPPOSITE RECORDS ON LOWERING HEALTH CARE COSTS
As a member of Congress, David Young repeatedly voted to increase health care premiums and to gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions, jeopardizing health insurance for 351,000 people in his district, and imposing an age tax on seniors.
In 2018, the political liability of Young’s disastrous record on health care cost him re-election. And now, in the midst of a pandemic, health care continues to be a defining issue in this race. As Iowans worry about their health and safety at the hands of the Coronavirus, Young’s betrayal of Iowans will be even more toxic when held up in comparison to Rep. Cindy Axne’s fight to make health care more affordable.
Rep. Axne has made lowering health care costs a top priority in Congress, introducing legislation that would address surprise medical bills that too often leave Iowans struggling saddled with unbearable medical debt. While David Young repeatedly voted to dismantle the entire Affordable Care Act and its protections, Axne has voted to lower prescription drug costs and protect those with pre-existing conditions.
YOUNG’S TAX SCAM STILL HURTING HARDWORKING IOWANS
As a member of Congress, David Young relied on special interests and Washington Republicans to fund his re-election bids, so it’s no wonder he voted to give his wealthy donors a handout through the highly unpopular GOP Tax Scam. Now, those same powerful backers are trying their best to buy the 3rd Congressional District for Young once again.
While powerful outside interests are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to send Young back to Washington, no amount of money can make Iowans forget that Young voted for the GOP Tax Scam that gives more than 80% of its benefits to the wealthiest 1% of Americans and a huge handout to large corporations. The bill even incentivized corporations to ship jobs overseas, all while making millions of middle class families pay more over time.
Meanwhile, Rep. Axne has made preserving jobs a central part of her work in Congress. Inspired by Wells Fargo’s attempt to lay off hundreds of West Des Moines workers in late 2018, Axne introduced several bills that would hold companies accountable and pressure them to keep good-paying jobs and factories in the United States.
PATH TO VICTORY
Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District is the most urban, suburban, and well-educated of the state’s four Congressional Districts. In fact, a greater share of its population has college degrees than the national average. President Obama won this historically Democratic seat twice, and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell carried the district despite losing statewide. While President Trump was able to win in this district in 2016, Cindy Axne’s victory last cycle and the trending-Democratic nature of the district indicate that it will be a challenge for rejected Congressman David Young to make a comeback in November.
Try as he might to re-brand himself, Iowa voters will not forget Young’s track record of putting Washington party bosses and wealthy special interests ahead of middle-class families. In a year when health care remains top of mind for voters, Young will once again be forced to answer for his votes to increase healthcare costs on Iowans.
First term incumbent Cindy Axne, on the other hand, has built a strong brand as a fighter for Iowa’s middle class and has real accomplishments to tout as we head into the fall. What’s more, she has proven she is a strong fundraiser with the resources to communicate those accomplishments to her constituents. With a cash-on-hand advantage of nearly three to one, Axne is in a strong position to earn re-election and continue giving Iowans – not outside interests – a voice in Washington.
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