Iowans Call Out Zach Lahn for Refusing to Answer Questions About His Flights to Kansas
DES MOINES – Today, Des Moines leaders and residents gathered to hold Kansas carpetbagger and career political operative Zach Lahn accountable for refusing to answer questions about his part-time living situation in Kansas.
Reporting reveals that Lahn has not held a single open town hall since the June 2 primary election, has skipped candidate forums, and will not “publicly answer questions from attendees or take questions from reporters.” Lahn is refusing to hold public events to avoid answering questions about how much time he actually spends in Iowa, how often he would travel back to Kansas if he’s elected, and how much those flights would cost taxpayers.
Watch the press conference here and read what Iowans had to say below:
“Iowans deserve answers from our candidates, not silence. That’s what we’re getting from Zach Lahn,” said State Rep. Jennifer Konfrst. “Is he going to live in Iowa when he becomes governor? Why hasn’t he moved here? Who’s going to pay for his travel back to Kansas? … [Lahn] wants to continue Kim Reynolds’ failed policies, and he wants to do so as a part-time governor.”
“Education is in crisis. We need to fight back against that and recognize that Mr. Lahn … is all for charters and underfunding our public schools,” said Samy El-Baroudi, teacher and State Senate District 17 candidate. “We’re just giving a tax rate to the wealthiest Iowans … We must serve 100% of Iowa students, not the privileged few. We need a governor who’s committed to Iowa and Iowa public schools.”
“Having a candidate who isn’t holding accessible public events to hear from us is more than a little alarming. If Zach Lahn isn’t willing to have such events while he is applying for the job of governor, how accessible and responsive will he be as our governor?” said Marie Herring, Des Moines resident and community organizer. “Zach Lahn isn’t the first politician to use this playbook … Iowa does not need a Reynolds 2.0 status quo agenda.”
“Do you want things like a strong economy, clean water, a good education system, and accessible health care? Or do you want things like tax incentives for the wealthy, insider stock trading, water that causes cancer, the largest manure pit in America?” said Deborah Gadlin, Des Moines resident and community organizer. “Do you want your taxes to be used to pay for a governor to commute from his home in Kansas on his private jet?”
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