King's Iowa district shrugs off racially charged comments

CARROLL, Iowa (AP) — Outside his rural congressional district stretching over 39 Iowa counties, conservative U.S. Rep. Steve King's stream of inflammatory comments generate outrage and condemnation, but back home they rate little more than a shrug.

Later in a radio interview, King responded to a question about changing demographics that could mean whites will no longer make up a U.S. majority by predicting, "Hispanics and the blacks will be fighting each other before that happens."

The comments have included opposition to placing an image of black anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, comments about immigrant children having "calves the size of cantaloupes" because of carrying marijuana across the border and support for fortifying a border wall by placing an electric wire on top.

Don Kass, the chairman of the Republican Party in Plymouth County, said he sometimes wishes King wouldn't "feed the liberal bears," but adds that most criticism comes from people outside the district.

Since they agree with King on the issues, Gwen Ecklund, a Republican party leader in Crawford County, said voters don't worry about his comments.

Libertarian Dale Gentry, a retired teacher from Rockwell City who owns an auto restoration business just off the 2,100-person city's town square, is no fan of the congressman, saying "Steve doesn't plug his mind in before his mouth takes off."