Comment on Murphy, Vernon question progressive credentials

VINTON — For all the issues where 1st District Democratic candidates Monica Vernon and Pat Murphy found agreement, they continued to clash Friday night over the definition of what makes a progressive. Murphy, of Dubuque, a 26-year veteran of the Iowa House, disputed Vernon’s claim that she is a lifelong progressive, arguing she was writing checks to the Republican Party while he was passing legislation in the Iowa House to raise the minimum wage and make preschool universal.Vernon, a former Cedar Rapids City Council member, pushed back, pointing to Murphy’s past 100 percent rating from the Iowa Right to Life Committee.