Charles Aldrich, an engineer from Clarion, pushed for preserving personal rights and the Constitution during his speech at The Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair Sunday.
“The Constitution says that the federal government is supposed to be funded by the individual states, according to their population. And the 16th Amendment makes it so that the federal government can actually tax the people individually,” Aldrich said. “This is a clear violation of our Constitution.”
The Libertarian is in a three-way race for the 4th Congressional District, which covers western Iowa and parts of north central Iowa — including the cities of Ames, Fort Dodge and Marshalltown. Republicans outnumber Democrats there 2 to 1.
Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra currently represents the district and is running for a third term in office. Feenstra did not schedule a time to address the public at the Iowa State Fair.
Two Republican voters filed a complaint to keep Libertarian congressional candidates in Iowa — including Aldrich — off the November ballot. The issue is expected to be resolved during a hearing with state officials.