Mike Frantz
DemocraticQ1 Iowa currently has the nation’s second-highest cancer rate and is one of only a few states where the cancer rate is increasing. What policies, if any, would you support regarding this issue?
We must immediately fund research to determine causes, then have the fortitude to enact legislation to mitigate, prevent, and cure cancer throughout Iowa.
Q2 Iowa’s universities receive roughly $350 million annually in federal research funding. NIH funding for research at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University fell by over $125 million from FY2024 to FY2025. What is your view on these funding reductions, and what policies, if any, would you support regarding funding for scientific research conducted in Iowa?
I am disheartened that the Trump administration has imperiled scientific discovery in Iowa and throughout the country. I would lobby Washington for the restoration of federal funds and be a leader in the legislature for scientific research as a means for a healthier Iowa.
Q3 Scientific evidence is generated through the systematic testing and evaluation of ideas. It provides knowledge that helps us understand the world and predict the likely consequences of different choices, such as policy making related to public health, energy, agriculture, and environmental regulation. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you evaluate competing or uncertain scientific claims when making policy decisions? What role, if any, should that process play when scientific consensus and public opinion diverge?
Comprehensive testing, peer review, and ethical approaches to science are critical. As lawmakers, we should expect and demand rigorous scientific study. As importantly, once presented with compelling research, we must follow its recommendations. Life and illness saving vaccines are one example where science led us to prevention and cures. We ignore it at our mutual peril.