Gubernatorial candidate Jack Hatch makes a stop in Decorah on 37-city tour

For the last week of their campaign, Democratic Party candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor Jack Hatch and Monica Vernon are on a tour of 37 communities in Iowa--including a stop in Decorah Thursday morning.

The Democrats are trailing in the polls to Republicans Terry Branstad andKim Reynolds, but Hatch on Thursday told a Decorah audience of around 30 people that "the foot power of the Democrats will beat the money power of the Republicans."  He said he and Vernon are underdogs in terms of campaign donations raised, but they're the candidates who have been discussing issues instead of making soundbites.

Hatch says Iowa needs to work for future generations by developing wind and solar energy, investing in early childhood education and requiring students to remain in high school until the age of 18.

He criticized the state's economic development efforts as primarily benefiting companies owned by the state's economic development board and suggested the current state board should be split into four regional boards in an effort to shift the focus to rural communities and small businesses.