Republican Senator Chuck Grassley and Patty Judge, his Democratic challenger, will share a stage in Sioux City tonight (Wednesday) for the first of their two face-to-face debates. Grassley says he wants to “keep it on the policies” rather than the presidential personalities. “I don’t want them to keep my opponent talking all about what might be wrong with Hillary Clinton and I don’t want ’em to be asking me what might be wrong with our candidate, Mr. Trump,” Grassley says. “I want to be talking about the issues.”

Grassley says export policies, national security and U.S. economic growth are on his preferred issues list. “I’m not going to tell the moderator what they can talk about and there’s going to be some questions about the presidential race and the presidential candidates. I’m not saying I expect it to be totally what I want, but since we’re running for the senate and not for president, it seems to me it ought to be about the issues.”

Judge says Grassley’s campaign has focused primarily on three main issues. “Eating ice cream, mowing the lawn and doing push ups,” Judge says. Judge says steps that would improve the U.S. economy can’t be accomplished because of the “gridlock” in congress caused by Republicans like Grassley. “It must be very hard to quit playing politics and address problems when you are supporting Donald Trump and make no mistake about it,” Judge said, “Chuck Grassley thinks just like Donald Trump.”

Judge’s father died Tuesday morning. Her campaign issued a news release yesterday afternoon, saying Judge will attend tonight’s (Wednesday’s) debate. It starts at 7 p.m. and will air on K-T-I-V T-V in Sioux City. It will be simulcast on K-W-W-L in Waterloo, K-T-T-C in Rochester, Minnesota which is seen in northern Iowa and W-G-E-M in Quincy, Illinois which is seen in southeast Iowa.

If you want to watch online, go to www.radioiowa.com to find a link to the livestream of the event. The Grassley-Judge debate will conclude just before tonight’s (Wednesday’s) presidential debate begins.

(Radio Iowa)