Q: What is your 99 county tour?
A: I have visited each of Iowa’s 99 counties each year since 1980, when I was first elected to the United States Senate. Every year in every county I hold town hall meetings, tour different kinds of businesses and talk with employees, speak at service clubs, and meet with high school students and teachers. I want to hear from many points of view. Getting to all 99 counties for an official meeting – not a political event – typically takes until the end of August each year, as it involves working around the Senate schedule. When the Senate is in session, I’m in Washington to vote and make Iowans’ voices heard. Most of my town meetings are held throughout the year during federal holiday weeks, as the Senate generally is out of session for the entire week. I’m also home in Iowa most every weekend.
Q: Why do you visit every county every year?
A: Too often, elected officials lose touch with the people who they represent and the challenges they face. When I ran for the United States Senate I told myself that if I were given the privilege of serving Iowans, I would keep in touch and not just come around at election time. Whether I am at a service club, a school or a business, I get to hear concerns from constituents and that interaction is what makes the two-way street of representative government work. It’s fundamental to my job to know and understand Iowans’ concerns and respond to their questions. In addition to holding an official meeting in every county every year, I work to keep in touch with Iowans by responding to every phone call and piece of mail, both postal and e-mail. I’m committed to responding and want Iowans to send me a letter if they don’t get a reply. I also meet with Iowans who make the trip to Washington, D.C. on business trips and vacation. For 28 consecutive years, the common sense dialogue at my town meetings and the regular correspondence with constituents has helped me represent Iowans in the United States. I look forward to continuing my effort to foster that dialogue and the democratic ideals of representative government.