Chris Jones brings ag secretary campaign to Dubuque days before Election Day

DUBUQUE, Iowa: Democratic candidate for Iowa secretary of agriculture Chris Jones campaigned in Dubuque on Saturday, three days before Election Day, making several stops across the city including a visit to the Dubuque Farmers Market, where he spoke with voters and vendors as part of his final campaign push, according to KCRG. Water quality sat at the center of the visit. Supporter Pat Hayes told KCRG the issue is personal: he has nine grandchildren, and the family leaves Iowa to find places to fish, swim, canoe or kayak because the water here is feared to make them sick. Jones said Iowa's heavy reliance on corn and soybeans makes nitrate pollution harder to address and called for giving farmers more crop options to build resilience into the system. Hayes said the goal is a different future for Iowa agriculture, one where the farmer makes the money instead of big ag companies. Jones is challenging Republican incumbent Mike Naig on Tuesday's ballot. Naig's campaign responded with a statement saying the contrast could not be clearer: Jones wants new taxes on farmland, feed and livestock, one-size-fits-all mandates and more government control, and his plans would put family farms out of business and drive up gas and grocery prices for Iowa families. The statement said Jones has a long history of insulting Iowa farmers and described Naig as a fourth-generation farmer who has dramatically expanded conservation practices to improve water quality and launched Choose Iowa.