Hogwash Alert: Colonel Kevin Techau Slams GOP Culture Wars!

David B. Wheeler: 00:00:00

This is the American Muckrakers podcast. Muck you. I'm David Wheeler in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, here to gut the lies and spill the filthy truth.

My co host, Mo Davis, is running to be the next Congress dude from NC11 coming to us today from Asheville. Mo, let's get mucking.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:00:17

All right, well, thanks, David, and thanks everybody for tuning in again. It's a nice day here in western North Carolina, and we're pleased to have another great guest on today. And someone I've got a lot in common with.

Kevin Techau is someone I met many, many years ago when we both were serving in the Air Force JAG Corps. And Kevin's out in Iowa. And like me, he's running for Congress. So, I mean, I'm always happy to see veterans step up and, and serve again.

So he, he's running in Iowa, Iowa's 2nd congressional district. The incumbent, Republican, Ashley Henson.

Kevin did a number of years on active duty and then switched over to the Iowa National Guard and served there for another 20 years and like me, retired as a colonel. He was the Iowa's Commissioner of Public Safety and more recently, he was the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Iowa.

So, hey, Kevin, thanks so much for taking time to join us today on MUCK YOU!

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:01:18

Yeah, thank you. Really appreciate the opportunity to visit with you guys.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:01:22

Well, listen, let's start with what made you decide to run for Congress.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:01:26

Well, the current situation, when I took a step back and I looked at my record as a veteran, as someone that's had the opportunity to serve under Tom Vilsack when he was governor and Tom Harkin recommended me to President Obama and served as U.S. attorney, I looked at that record and looked at what's going on with the current representation.

I voice believe that we work best when we work together, and that's just not happening in Washington. The current representative, Ashley Henson, she just votes for headlines. She's not looking for solutions. She's not working for Iowa.

She's pushing culture wars, cutting services for seniors and veterans, feeding the chaos. It's performance politics and it's just pure hogwash.

And I think it's time to Iowa, in this part of the state, got a representation that's going to work for them and lift people up, not punch down.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:02:17

Yeah. So tell us a little bit about your district. What does it encompass?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:02:21

It's 22 counties. I would consider it light purple. It went for Obama twice and it's gone for Trump since.

Starts in the southern part here in Cedar Rapids, but it goes all the Way up to the northeast corner, Alami Key county, up along the Mississippi Dubuque, Clayton and Alamy county, and then runs along the Minnesota border over to Mason City and then down picks up Waterloo and Cedar Rapids and then goes down to Powashee county, which is where Grinnell College is, and back over to Cedar Rapids. So it's a mixture of, of agriculture, but there's some really strong manufacturing in John Deere, has two large plants in both Dubuque and Waterloo.

And then Collins Radio here in Cedar Rapids is a very large military contractor. So a good blend of agriculture and manufacturing and traditionally has gone back and forth from R to D.

And I believe it's going to be a good year for the D's.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:03:16

Yeah, I think so too. It's hopefully, particularly with the, the big beautiful wealth transfer to the rich bill that is, I guess, tied up in the Senate right now.

I don't know about your district, but I know here in western North Carolina, it's, if it goes through, it's going to have a dramatic impact on working class people. So what kind of reception is it getting out in your area?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:03:39

Very positive. I think people are, what I like to call are tired of the chaos, the cruelty and the hogwash.

They're the meat and potato issues are really what I think are going to carry the day. Ashley Henson, you know, campaigned on making prices go down. The economy, she's turned her back on that.

So when I talk to people, they're very interested in, you know, they want to make sure that they can make a living, pay the bills. They want an opportunity for their kids, the American dream.

And they also want to make sure that if they get sick, they're not going to go bankrupt and then they're going to have enough money to have a decent retirement. And all those things right now, the chaos, the uncertainty of what's going on.

And if we called Ashley Henson a basketball referee, she swallowed the whistle. I mean, she's a rubber stamp for what's going on and it's just not being well received. You know, corners when I visit with people.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:04:33

Yeah. Oh, she sounds like Chuck Edwards in a skirt because he's the same guy I'm running against is just a rubber stamp.

You know, whatever he's told to do, he does. And whether it's good for the district or not, he doesn't care. It's, you know, he looks out for.

I don't know, I don't know, like your opponent, what her backers are like. I know the guy here, Chuck Edwards.

I Mean, he's financed by out of state money from big corporations that don't do business here and from out of state billionaires that have never set foot in the western North Carolina mountains. But what kind of folks are.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:05:08

Yeah, absolutely. There's a, there's a good share of that. And you've probably heard the, the controversy over our Republican Sen. Senator Joni Ernst.

I mean, Ashley Henson is basically her political twin. They vote the same. They've done a, a couple town halls on video together and they, they vote the same.

And so they, they both really seem to relish punching down, you know, people that need government services like Medicare and snap rather than lifting up. And the people that really, you know, understand this district and care about this district, that's not where they are.

And so these, you're right, these out that come in and, you know, want to prop them up is really what's carried her through a couple of these elections.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:05:52

Yeah, I'm curious. I know Joni earned her comment about, hey, you know, we're all going to die. How's that playing out in Iowa?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:06:00

It's everywhere I go, people want to talk about that.

And I don't know if there's a, a really kind of a clever T shirt company in Iowa called Ray Gun and they put out a shirt that says, you know, we're all going to die, Joni Ernst. And they're selling out everywhere. So she's, and then, you know, she doubled down on it in her comments about, you know, filming that.

I don't know if it was a tick tock or whatever it was in the cemetery, you know, really sarcastically and then ending it with, I didn't know I had to talk about the tooth fairy either. So, yeah, really, really, I think is backfiring on her and she's doubled down on it again today.

And so Ashley Henson is really right there next to her, really her political twin for their philosophy and their voting records.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:06:41

Well, you mentioned, you know, you'd worked with Tom Vilsack and he was one of the, one of the first guests we had on our podcast and, and, and a real gentleman. And you know, my impression of you is, you know, you're kind of cut from that, that same cloth.

So what'd you learn from working with, with Tom Vilsack?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:06:58

Well, I, I mean, I'll talk about three of my political heroes. So I met Tom Vilsack. You know, I came back to Iowa in 92 and there hadn't been a Democratic governor, I don't know, like in 30 years.

And so I met Tom Vilsack and decided that he could be the guy that could take it back. And he talked a lot about it's time to rotate the crops. I mean, that was kind of his theme.

And he brought, he really emphasized the rural economy and how education in Iowa had taken a dip. And so, you know, worked hard, listened to people. As another hero of mine, Tom Harkin, you know, he stood, stood up for fairness.

He, the Americans had disability, the Lilly Ledbetter, all those kind of actions really have helped lift up people over the years.

And I'll throw on another hero is Governor Bob Ray, who was a governor when I was younger, growing up and you know, all this talk about immigration and how it's not positive for the United States.

When Governor Wray was governor, he saw what was going on in Southeast Asia after the Vietnam War and welcomed those people into Iowa, what they called the boat people. And he did it because of the integrity and compassion and really the courage to lead with purpose.

And so all three of those men in my book are what it really takes. I mean, they worked across the aisle. They work for solutions. They tried to lift people up and find solutions to problems.

So all three of them, I think, served with dignity and integrity and are real heroes of mine.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:08:30

Well, over on the, the, the topic of integrity, who are you rooting for in the feud between Elon and Trump?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:08:39

I, I think it's a toss up. I think we're all, I think we're all, all gonna lose out of that one. But it's been fun to watch.

I guess it was just a matter of time until that, that bromance blew up.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:08:51

Yeah, that's what I said. You know, I, I don't want either one to win, but it sure is fun watching them drag each other through the mud.

But, you know, it's like having to pick in projectile vomiting. I just assume, just as they not have either one.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:09:05

Yeah, right.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:09:06

Yeah. Hey, let's get back to your, your, your time in the military. I know you come like me. Your dad served in the military. And then, and then you did.

What lessons do you, did you take away from the military that you think are helpful in your run for, for Congress?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:09:23

Well, that sense of honor, I mean, the, the camaraderie I served in three years in, in the UK and then three in Germany during the Cold War. And I happened to be in Berlin when the wall came down.

I was TDY at Tempelhof and I didn't agree with Ronald Reagan a lot of things, but Boy, he, he knew what the Soviet Union was all about.

I mean, I don't know if you had that chance, but had gone into East Berlin and it was kind of like one of those movies where they go from Technicolor to black and white and how dismal it was in East Berlin. And, you know, that's where Putin comes from. And having seen that, I mean, and then where we're at today, how, you know, it's kind of like the baton.

I mean, ever Since World War II, you know, the baton has been passed generation to generation. The NATO has kept us at peace in Europe.

And it's so disappointing, so disgusting to see, you know, how the current administration is really wants to throw that in the ash bins of history rather than recognizing that that's what what's really generations have fought for to keep the peace.

So I think how much it, you know, the dignity and, and the camaraderie that I saw interagency in our internationally, I mean, where I went, people thanked me for, you know, the people that served before me having served in Europe and won World War II. All those things I think are bring us to today. And, and we need to build on it, not tear it down.

So I think it's the tradition and that history that really sticks with me and makes me proud that I had an opportunity to serve during that time.

David B. Wheeler: 00:10:56

But Kevin, so I think you, our listeners probably know I've got a background from Iowa. I grew up there in Norwalk south of Des Moines and went to college at University of Iowa.

And I still can't believe they gave me a degree, but I spent way too much time at the field house. But that's another podcast.

So, yeah, you talk about your kind of your favorite politicians in Iowa, Bob Ray, who you know, I was a page in the legislature and I got to know him and his chief of staff, David Oman. Really terrific people. I mean, good Iowans, good Americans, moderate in their beliefs.

Tom Vilsack, again, I, interestingly enough, I got, I was out of politics for a while. I restarted the Iowa Young Democrats and then kind of took a back seat for about 10 years.

And I got back involved in politics because of Tom Vilsack, too. And Tom Harkin. My father was county chair in Warren county, and we helped Tom lose his first congressional campaign.

And, and so we've got a lot of similar history, but all three of those gentlemen are from a different time. Kevin and or colonel and are you. How are you going to bridge the gap?

I mean, those guys, I think won because they were decent people and they worked their asses off, which I think you've got both those characteristics. But Democrats have got to get a lot tougher even in Iowa these days. So how are you going to campaign and win?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:12:22

ng about this. My mom died in: 1978

if you look at where women in: 1978

So like Tom Harkin, the Lilly led better act at that time. Women that could get unequal pay and until they made that act that, that was not protected.

If you were a woman In: 1978

And then, you know, there's a lot of talk about women and girls, sports. Title IX came into effect and, and really all the women that, and girls that compete in sports have benefited from that.

And that's what my opponent calls worthless. And I think they've gotten away with that too much.

I mean, you know, the people that we're talking about, the heroes and I think that that tradition is still possible, that it's only worthless when you have people like Ashley Henson that, that don't really appreciate, you know, what it takes to make a positive impact. I mean she's come out for the cuts to Medicaid. Half the half the babies born in my district are were born with Medicaid services.

And so, so many people, so many kids rely upon the SNAP program, the food, whether it's at school or for the food stamps. And all those things really show what a force positive government can have.

And there's been so much information about how government doesn't do anything. It's worthless. Fraud, waste and abuse.

I mean, I worked for, I led two organizations that went after fraud, waste and abuse, Inspection and Appeals where we had a Medicaid fraud unit brought in of dollars in fraud at the U.S. attorney's office. Going after fraud, waste and abuse was one of our biggest goals and we had great success.

So there's a lot of good work that's been done by the federal government that goes unrecognized because we have so many politicians like Ashley Henson just punching down, saying it's worthless. And I think we need to do a better job of telling those stories and fighting for what's right and what's going to make people's lives better.

David B. Wheeler: 00:15:08

Yeah, you're right. You know, I think a lot of that is based upon people like your opponent's ignorance.

They have no idea because they've never had to rely upon any help from the government or help from folks. So. And the other problem, Kevin, is, you know, the people that you're talking about helping and protecting, they don't vote at a high enough rate.

So how are we going to, you know, there's an economy here. I mean, we want to help people and that's the spirit that public servants bring.

And, but we got to win a campaign and we're defending and trying to help people that frankly aren't listening to us and aren't voting. So how do, how do we change that in Iowa?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:15:48

Well, it's a ground game.

I mean, I talked to a former congressman from this part of Iowa yesterday, Dave Nagel, and talked about him about the ground game he used, you know, back in the day. It's a few, a few elections ago. But, you know, it starts people to people, neighbor to neighbor.

And, you know, candidly, Iowa lost a lot of that when we lost first in the nation caucus because the Iowa Party had really relied upon the national candidates to come in and provide staff. And so that's taken a step back.

There's some new energy in a group called Grassroots that's going to connect that actually for the first time has listed all these interest groups that are interested in what we're talking about that want to work at different aspects of it. So they even know who, you know, the left hand knows what the right hand hands doing and where they're going to meet.

The indivisible group has had some very strong rallies in, in Iowa, small cities and big cities coming out and they're working hard to get those people to register the vote.

So it's going to be a, you know, the ground game people, but people working with organizations that, you know, have the same goals and aspirations and fighting for the, the good stuff.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:16:56

Yeah. Let me, I want to get back to you're Talking about your time, you know, being over at Tempelhof when the wall.

Wall came down, you and I spent, you know, countless hours, you know, sweating our asses off in chem warfare gear, preparing to, you know, to take on the Soviet Union and Russia. And now we. We learned that Canada is our enemy and Russia is our friend. Can you.

Could you ever imagine that we would be in the place that we're in now?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:17:23

Absolutely not. It's. It's completely upside down. It makes no sense. And it really makes you wonder, you know, what's going on under the hood with.

Why people would even consider that to be a worthy policy goal. I mean, right. I. I have a T shirt that says NATO equals good, Putin equals bad. And I think that sums it up pretty bad pretty well.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:17:46

So, yeah, it seemed to be a pretty, you know, we had a pretty clear picture of who our friends were and who our enemies were. And to do a 180 like we've done is just hard to imagine, if you go back 10, 15 years, that we'd be at the place that we are now.

And I'm really disappointed. Like I said, I'm really. I'm glad to see veterans run and particularly former members of the JAG Corps.

You know, we've got other, you know, some of our colleagues. You know, Ted Lieu is serving from California, of course. On the Senate side, we got Lindsey Graham and Roger Wicker.

So, you know, the Air Force JAG Corps is stepped up and done pretty well, and I think can bring some skills to the. To the table that would be good for the country.

But, you know, I got to say, I'm disappointed that some of our former colleagues, like Lindsey Graham and Roger Wicker seem to aid in a bit this tearing down of our traditional alliances and denigration of. Of the military.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:18:49

Yeah, I. I mean, I think we. We shared that. We both knew Lindsey Graham way back in the day. He was the first. He was a.

A circuit trial counsel in the first case I ever heard as a judge advocate. So I've known Lindsay a long time. Didn't talk a lot of politics back then, but never saw, you know, followed him through his time with John McCain.

I mean, I admired a lot of things about John McCain. And then to see him not stick up for John McCain's memory in recent times, it's been really disappointing and hard to understand.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:19:17

Yeah, it is. Yeah. I'm the same way.

first trial I ever did was in: 1984

I was a member of the prosecution team, and one of the members of the defense team was a young captain from South Carolina named Lindsey Graham. And so, like you, I've known him for, you know, over 40 years and worked with, I worked with him and John McCain on drafting the legislation to.

For the military commissions at Guantanamo Bay.

And they were the two that were pushing back against the Bush administration and complaining about the abuse of executive authority and that you're not seeing that out of them now. And that really is disappointing. What's your take now on. I was always a big advocate.

You know, I taught at Howard University of the law school for four years. And a number of my students, I encourage them to consider a career in the military.

You know, I don't know that I would do that today because, you know, when you and I served, whether it was Reagan or Clinton or Obama, you know, whoever it was, Democrat, Republican, I maybe didn't agree on policy, some of their policies, but I never questioned that they had my back. And I just don't have that feeling with our current commander in chief. So what, what's your take on the current state of our military?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:20:36

Well, I watched the confirmation hearing with Hegseth and where he basically denigrated judge advocates, I mean, called jags jagoffs, and was totally dismissive. I mean, and I've talked to my colleagues that served and those that served at a higher level than I did, and they said the same sentence that I did.

You know, that's just not the way it's done. I mean, rule of law, law of armed conflict, the Geneva Convention, those are all cornerstones of, of what's made America America.

I mean, we do it the right way, we do it the honorable way. Doesn't mean that there hasn't been mistakes. I mean, I mean, I admired how you stuck up for what you believe to be right in Guantanamo Bay.

And, and, you know, you paid a price sometimes for giving your opinion. But that's the integrity that really takes to be a leader in the military.

And when you put somebody like Hegseth at the top, he's done things that an airman that I defended as a circuit defense counsel would have been court martial. And so that. That's just not right. And, you know, our senator Joni Ernst got a lot of kudos when she ran as being a combat veteran.

I mean, she served in the Guard, and she's turned her back on that heritage completely.

So I think overall, I mean, you mentioned some leaders earlier that, you know, served in the first Trump administration and left because they didn't appreciate his leadership or agree with his leadership. I think overall, that's going to. That's going to carry the day.

But I think we have to stay true and, you know, band together and not let this moment take over where this country needs to head and is always headed in the past.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:22:14

Yeah, it's really sad that, you know, you mentioned a couple of things like the Geneva, the Geneva Conventions. You know, the US led the effort to create the Geneva Conventions and the law of war. The Convention against torture.

We led the effort to create the Convention against Torture. But all the. In NATO, you know, we led the effort to. To create NATO and all these institutions and norms that, that we were so proud of.

To see them just go by the wayside is. I mean, I think, you know, we can do more damage in a couple of years than we can make up for in a couple of decades.

So I think it's going to be a long road to repair. I mean, if.

If I was from another country that, you know, I would question, you know, the, the US's commitment to being an ally, given what's happened over the last couple years.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:23:01

Well, absolutely. And I think all we can do is, you know, be a voice for, for what we believe and what we know and the heritage that we come from. And I got.

I mean, I, I'm optimistic.

I think it's going to carry the day, and this is going to be a blimp on the larger American history, but doesn't mean that we can't ignore all these transgressions, that's for sure.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:23:22

Yeah, I hope so. I mean, you know, it seems like a pendulum. You know, it swings from one side to the other.

So I hope we've kind of reached the zenith of wherever we're going to the, to the right and we start swinging back towards the middle.

But again, you know, it's hard to imagine, you know, you know, the headset debacle with sharing war plans with his wife and others on a, you know, a phone you can buy at your mall. It's just unimaginable, you know, like, you know, you and I have seen people go to jail and lose their careers for lesser transgressions.

But, you know, if you don't hold people at the top accountable, then that rot, you know, permeates down. So I was really disappointing. Our senator from here, Tom Tillis, you know, is going to lead the effort to derailed the headset nomination.

But then Trump threatened to find a primary challenger in our Senator Cave. Not exactly a profiling courage, but it's disappointing to see someone like Headset at the head of the. At the helm in the Pentagon.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:24:26

Absolutely. Yeah.

The only time I'd ever tried to contact Joni Earnest was after that hearing and let her know I thought that he's a terrible candidate to be the Secretary of Defense. And I got a letter back two weeks after the vote happened, and she said she thought he was the right guy for the race.

So terrible, terrible all the way around.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:24:46

All right, what gives you hope? I mean, obviously, you don't step up and take on the task that you're taking on if you didn't have, you know, hope in your heart. So what is it that.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:24:56

Well, I think it goes back to that. That heritage that I talked about.

I mean, I think I was at, at its core, has been a force, positive going back through time, and I think that's still there. You know, I mentioned that this district had gone for Obama twice.

I think that when I talk to people, I think, you know, I think this district is kind of a third. A third, A third. There's a third of people that are. They're going to be with the MAGA crowd, you know, no matter what.

There's a third in the middle that have gone back and forth and, and depending on where the pendulum is on those issues that we talked about. And then there's a third that, that's going to be there for the Democratic candidates. And so where we've slipped is that middle group.

And so I think there's been lack of focus on those meat and potato issues.

And when I go out and talk to people about, you know, making sure that, that we, that we're going to work on making sure that the American dream is still alive and their kids are going to have a life, have an opportunity for a life better than they have, and they're not going to go bankrupt if they get sick and they're going to have a decent retirement. Those are all the issues that people, I think, are at the top of mind.

And, you know, so often the race has been taken off into these issues that aren't important, you know, trying to talk about these culture wars, and we've kind of, kind of got caught up in that, and we need to push that aside and talk about where, where people live and what they really care about.

David B. Wheeler: 00:26:17

So, Kevin, tell us a little bit about your opponent. Where is she vulnerable? How can you beat her? And, and yeah, absolutely.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:26:26

Well, this race has been rated as competitive. We've got one more notch to go until it's a toss up, but it's been rated as competitive. So that's a strong start.

And actually our long, long, long time Senator Charles Grassley has sent out emails to Republican donors saying that, that this is what, this is one of those districts that could flip the House back from red to blue. So I'm going to work hard and run through the finish line and it's gonna, it's gonna take your listeners. I mean, I could use your support. I mean it.

And as Mo knows it runs into. You got to have the resources that you have to define yourself before your opponent defines you.

And they're gonna, they're gonna try their best to do that and take off medicine or take it off message.

When I first announced, they wanted to call me a radical left wing socialist, which, anybody takes a look at my record knows that that's just, you know, garbage. But I mean that's, that's the game plan they do.

So I'm available@KevinForIowa.com you can go to my website, it'll talk you about my history and the race. And Ashley Henson comes from a much different place. She comes from a bit of a blue blood family in Des Moines, West Des Moines.

She doesn't talk about that. She went to the University of Southern California, which I affectionately call the University of Spoiled Children.

I guess she couldn't get into University of Iowa, Iowa State or University of Northern Iowa or many of our other fine small colleges. And she doesn't have any sense of, of the advantages that she had growing up.

She was one of those people that was kind of born on third base and thinks she hits a triple and doesn't realize how much people count on for government to, you know, the Medicaid, she's, you know, basically the hogwash that she's slopping around talking about, you know, young men in their basement, that, that's gonna, that's a magnificent problem that she's gonna cure, that's gonna make Medicaid stronger is just hogwash.

And so I look forward to having those discussions with her because as she was a newscaster, she went to Southern Cal and then came back and she was a newsreader really.

And if we measured her statements by a journalistic, you know, I think she gets a big fat F because the things she says are just not accurate, they're just not true. She talks talking points. She likes to Slap labels. And I think people are hungry for a real discussion on the issues and drill down.

And that's what I'm looking forward to. And that's why I'm optimistic that we can flip this race and flip this seat back to blue.

David B. Wheeler: 00:28:56

And I doubt USC even plays in Iowa. They. I think they've beat the Hawkeyes in a couple games that probably are not helpful. I think you need to rub that in.

I know actually USC pretty well. There used to be a client of mine, and I couldn't agree with you more. It's a bunch of rich little that have no, no concept of reality.

So, anyway, I encourage you to take the gloves, Kevin. I mean, I know there's a tradition in the Democratic Party to, you know, let's not go there. Let's go high when they go low kind of shit.

And those days are over. And unless you're willing to play the game they play, you know, it's going to be a tough road to hoe and. Or a tough road to hoe.

And I say that out of experience. You know, we went after Boebert and in Colorado and almost got rid of her, not by taking the high road, but by putting facts out about her.

And I'm not suggesting, you know, that you as an attorney go against your instincts for the truth and facts and the law, but I think in order to win in a district like this, you've got to take the gloves off and, and come at her with facts about this USC stuff. I think that plays well. It will play well for you.

So are you going to take the gloves off or are you going to play the traditional Democrat, hope we win kind of strategy?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:30:24

Well, yeah, I take your points well taken, that we have to talk, have to talk tough. I mean, I'm a fighter. I. But I, you know, my record backs that up. I mean, you know, I.

I've served, led the largest law enforcement agency in the state of Iowa, a U.S. attorney's office. And so I know what it takes to, you know, and I don't just talk tough. We've. I've led tough.

And so I think those are kind of things that I've learned through my time to make progress. And so, yeah, I look forward to having that discussion and talking about where, where the state has been, where it needs to go and how we got there.

And, you know, you guys use the word muck, I use the word hogwash. And so we're going to. We're going to cut through the hogwash and get to the facts and Tell the truth.

David B. Wheeler: 00:31:05

Well, we'll help you with that too, Kevin. I mean, I think one of the things we've done well is kind of be the bad cops in some of these races.

So you've got that commitment from us to help you in any way we can. I highly encourage folks, even if it's just five or ten or fifteen bucks, you know, go to Kevin's website and give him a vote of confidence.

I mean, this is early money. It's important that Kevin raise some money over the summer so we can have a fighting chance next year. And.

And now's the chance to get on the ground floor of this too, because Kevin will remember your help and, and we will certainly encourage folks to go to his website. So, Kevin, give us the website one more time, please.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:31:46

Yeah, the easiest way to remember it is just Kevin for Iowa.com.

David B. Wheeler: 00:31:51

Perfect. That's very easy to remember. So listen, I a big fan of candidates. You're a first time candidate. What's. I think you are.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:32:02

Yes. First time.

David B. Wheeler: 00:32:03

First time can. All right, so that's. You've got a little bit of a learning curve, but you've been around politics.

I remember my first time I ran, I had no idea what I was doing, but it was great. Ended up being such a great experience for me because I was new to North Carolina and I. And I got a chance to get to know where I live and people.

And so I, I assume you're hitting the trail.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:32:26

Absolutely. Going to start doing all the.

Well, I've met many of the county chairs already, but, you know, as summer comes around, there's more and more events been invited to actually a couple of churches to make, you know, a talk about issues. And so, yeah, near and far going to be up to Alami Key county, which is the far northeast corner. Really a beautiful place.

Really one of the most beautiful sites in the world.

David B. Wheeler: 00:32:51

Culver families from that part of Iowa.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:32:54

Well, they were. Yeah, they were down in McGregor. They had a place up there.

David B. Wheeler: 00:32:56

Yeah.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:32:57

Yeah, that's.

David B. Wheeler: 00:32:58

Yeah, it's a beautiful place along the Mississippi river. And, and so do you have a primary?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:33:03

No one is officially announced. There's some scuttlebutt. I mean, if we used a baseball analogy, I'd say I'm up on the field playing ball.

There's maybe somebody in the dugout and there's maybe a couple people out in the parking lot. It's a long ways to that. But no one officially has jumped in yet.

David B. Wheeler: 00:33:17

All right. And I assume you'll get the two Toms is an Endorsement or help along?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:33:21

Yes, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah.

David B. Wheeler: 00:33:22

Okay. So, Phil, that's a good sign. Tom Vilsack and Tom Harkin behind Kevin. They are. The stall works in the Democratic Party.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:33:30

And, and Christy Vilsack as well. I mean, she's Christine as a candidate.

David B. Wheeler: 00:33:34

Yeah, yeah. And she ran against that knucklehead up in Northeast, Steve King.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:33:38

Yeah. So, yeah, there's Northwest, a good history of really strong candidates that have all Lynn lent their support and, you know, are going to be there.

And so there's a, there's a real hunger to take the state back, you know, since we have entirely our delegation. So, you know, we got, and hey.

David B. Wheeler: 00:33:55

Christy and Tom are back home. So.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:33:57

Absolutely.

David B. Wheeler: 00:33:58

They were the ones that turned it around, you know, back in the, what was it, early or late 90s or late 80s.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:34:05

And we've, we've got a really strong governor's race going. We got strong candidates. So we're going to have a tough ticket, a real strong ticket top to bottom.

And it's going to be a good year for Democrats in Iowa. I have a strong belief.

David B. Wheeler: 00:34:17

Well, I hope so. And what about farmers? I assume that the uncertainty of the.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:34:23

Tariffs is killing them. You know, just like small business or big businesses, you need that certainty.

And these tariffs where the largest chunk of their selling soybeans to China is all in jeopardy. And so last time that Trump did this, he tried to make it go away and cut him a check to take away some of the economic pain.

But there's a lot of uncertainty, a lot of angst in the agricultural community, and it hasn't played out all the way yet.

But it's not headed in a positive direction for the economy in Iowa because the farm economy is, you know, a cornerstone so often in not only the small cities, but, you know, the big cities as well.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:35:02

Yeah.

David B. Wheeler: 00:35:02

And the last thing a farmer really wants is another check from the government.

I mean, I know they'll take it and they'll, you know, begrudgingly use it, but they just soon sell the product and earn that stuff without a government check. So what you're saying.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:35:15

Yeah, there's other parts of that, too. I mean, you know, there was a rural, I mean, more and more farming is, is rely upon the Internet services and, you know, broadband.

And so that program has been cut out. And so that's in jeopardy.

There's, there's a program at the University of Iowa hospitals called the Holden Cancer, which is to try to bring cancer services for rural health with the cuts and that, that's been wiped out so we can go down, we could probably have another hour. Of all the programs that have been cut. SNAP is a strong program for the Agriculture Committee. That's been gashed, too, in this budget.

So, you know, top to bottom, many, many programs that the rural community, farm communities, smaller cities count on have been gutted in this budget and Doge. And so the pain of that is just starting to be felt. And there's a lot of angst, a lot of concern where this is all headed.

David B. Wheeler: 00:36:08

Yeah, people don't realize that, you know, that what we used to call food stamps, you know, it actually employs a lot of people because, you know, folks that need food are getting food. Well, that product's being sold at it at full price. You know, there aren't any discounts on that.

So that's another area that I think people often overlook. So I have one more question. One more question.

David B. Wheeler: 00:36:34

So what's your strategy on getting out to connect with farmers? It's a group we've lost. They used to be with us. Fdr, Trump or Trump, Truman and jfk. You know, the farmers used to be with us.

How are you going to get some of those folks back to vote?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:36:49

Well, I have some good farm family friends and we're going to just have discussions. You know, I don't know, you call them town halls, you tell them media in the barn. But, you know, so that's going to begin.

We're going to go around county to county and invite those conversations and talk about, you know, what, what we call where the rubber meets the road and because we need to rotate the crops because where there's a huge farm bill that's due this, it was supposed to pass last year and they just kicked the can down the road again. And so that's critical. And so those components are all up for grabs.

It's going to be in the, in the authorization, you know, coming up in the next, next Congress. And so we're going to talk about that, what's most important.

And you know, Tom Harkin was one of the real good architects of that when he was in the Senate. And I know that he's interested in that and wants to, you know, be a force positive of that along the way as. As well.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:37:44

Yeah. Is it interesting to hear you mention about, you know, how they've tried to label you?

you know, when I ran Back in: 2020

attorney, public safety, to, to get labeled or mislabeled like that by the other side is just, I don't know, to me, it's disgusting to that people stoop to that, that level. So how are you going to fight back against that? Because, you know, you know it's coming.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:38:21

Well, that was one of the, the pieces of advice that Tom Vilsack gave me. He said, you know, I'm very sure there's not any skeletons in your closet, but doesn't mean they're not going to make some about you.

And so, I mean, what we're talking about, you need to have resources, you have to raise money because most people don't pay that much attention to this until the very end. And so that's why it's early. That's why I started this early. Because you need to build your team, you need to build the support.

So this time next year and beyond, you have the resources to make sure you don't get buried in negative ads. And unfortunately, that's the system we have. You can do the ground game, you can do as much as you can that way. But, and, and that's changed.

You know, that's digital. It's YouTube. It's not only radio and TV. So it's really changed the dimensions and it's a, it's critical part of this is what I've learned.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:39:09

Yeah, I'm hoping, you know, one thing that really hurt last time is for me, right after the primary, like two days later, the headlines were nothing but Covid. And I think Democrats did the right thing and took the responsible approach and chose not to hold big mega spreader events.

But, you know, this is, a lot of our counties here are pretty, pretty remote. And you mentioned the defunding the program to help expand broadband.

We have, we have 80,000 households in Western North Carolina that don't have broadband.

So, you know, during COVID trying to, you know, campaign using zoom just didn't work in those outlying areas where you got to be there on the ground to, to meet the people. And I think being there on the ground and meeting the people makes it harder for the other side than to, to mislabel you.

I mean, I think once they meet you and get to know you, it's, it's harder to sell that, you know, this guy's a globalist or a socialist or a, whatever, you know, derogatory term, they're going to Try to peg you with.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:40:06

Yeah, I agree. Yeah. That's why that ground game is so important.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:40:09

Yeah. You got to meet people where they are. Well, listen, I really, I really appreciate you stepping up. It, you know, we're.

I think, you know, when I ran last time, I talked about how, you know, the phrase, you know, this, this the most important election in our lifetime gets, you know, used every, every time there's an election. But damn, this, you know, this one coming up really, you know, really that, that label fits.

So, man, I really admire you for, for, for stepping up and doing this is not a. Not an easy job to take home.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:40:36

Well, likewise. You're one of the people that, when I.

People mentioned that I should consider this, I, you know, I knew your example and so admire your stepping up as well. So I appreciate that support.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:40:46

Absolutely.

David B. Wheeler: 00:40:47

Well, Kevin, remember Vilsack's first campaign for governor? When Lightfoot tried to label him as a. That he was for strip clubs near schools. He had voted for.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:40:56

Yeah.

David B. Wheeler: 00:40:57

He had voted for strip. Strip clubs near schools.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:41:02

Right.

David B. Wheeler: 00:41:02

And that was a breaking point for voters. They said, you know what? We know Tom Vilsack well enough to know he's not for this. Now you're lying to us.

So I imagine you're going to have a close race and it's going to come down to the wire. But the more we get to know her, the more voters and I will get to know her. I'm sure the, the more votes are going to be swinging your way, man.

So we wish you the best out on the campaign trail. Hope you'll come back and give us updates. We're inviting candidates to come back and just do a five minute update.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:41:29

Yeah.

David B. Wheeler: 00:41:31

And again, folks, we've had Kevin take out on our podcast today. Kevin for Iowa.com. please go over there and, and toss Kevin a couple bucks to encourage him.

He's got Tom Vilsack, Tom Harkin and other folks in Iowa behind him and he needs your help today. Not in August or September. He needs it now, so.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:41:52

Oh, hey, Kevin, I was going to ask one more thing. If you win, would you guys take David Wheeler back?

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:42:00

I gotta rethink this. Yeah.

David B. Wheeler: 00:42:05

Yeah. I, I think the Vilsacks, Christy and Tom would probably move back to Washington if I went back to Iowa.

So anyway, God, Kevin, it's been great to reconnect with you and.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:42:16

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Really appreciate the guys and I've been listening to your podcast. I especially like the Paul Begalo.

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:42:23

Yeah.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:42:23

One.

David B. Wheeler: 00:42:23

Yeah.

Colonel Kevin Techau: 00:42:24

He's been a long time hero of mine and I think we both share. The buck up Suck up book is one of our go to's. So.

David B. Wheeler: 00:42:30

Yeah, yeah. And you know, don't, don't hesitate to use Mo's phrase that kick an ass for the working class.

You know, I, I think that works and I think probably works in rural Iowa too. So take it when you, when you can get it. I guess so. All right, well, that's it for this episode. American Muck Breakers Podcast Buck you.

I'm David Mueller signing off with the Colonel Mo Davis. The Colonel Mo Davis. If you enjoyed this show, follow us, share it and check out americanbuck records.com for more or to support us.

Thank you to our guests, Kevin Take out. Learn more about Kevin at kevin for iowa.com until next time, keep your eye on the long game. Don't stop believing truth matters.

And whenever a MAGA annoys you, just tell them. What do you tell them?

Colonel Moe Davis: 00:43:18

Muck you.

Jimmy Muckraker: 00:43:19

This has been Muck you, co hosted by Colonel Mo Davis in Asheville, North Carolina and David Wheeler in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. Thanks to our guest today, Colonel Kevin Tetkow, a candidate for Congress in Iowa's 2nd district.

merican Muckrakers. Copyright: 2025

And remember to never take from anyone, especially Trumpers.