Cindy Golding

Cindy Golding was born in Chicago, Illinois. Golding's career experience includes owning Sweet Maple Farms and CNJ Investments and working as a farmer.[1][2][3] Golding has served on the Linn County Republican Central Committee, the leadership council of the National Federation of Independent Business, the board of the Linn County Farm Bureau, and the board of Youth for Christ.[3][4]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

As a wife, mother, grandmother, business owner & active community volunteer I believe we all have a responsibility to serve. I want to do what I can to help preserve our communities for future generations.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I will continue to represent the interests of the rural and small town Iowans, whom I serve. It is our job to protect Iowans from dangerous ventures, such as hazardous liquid pipelines, without adequate safety measures in place.Private property rights are one of the fundamental rights in the US Constitution. I believe it is the responsibility of the legislature to protect private property - disallowing the use of eminent domain for corporate financial gain.Fair and accurate elections are the backbone of our representative Republic. We must continue to improve our election process to eliminate any opportunity for election fraud, including mail fraud, same day registration process and voter role cleanup. Citizen involvement is a critical element in this process.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Every bill passed in the legislature may affect the daily lives of my constituents. I fear the unintended consequences of well-intentioned legislation. The areas I believe will have the greatest impact on my constituents are Election integrity, private property rights, and government over-reach. I am passionate about the “devil in the details” with every bill that comes before the House, therefore I read and question everything.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Personal Integrity, commitment to service, humility, a person of faith

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The first core responsibility is to be honest. A legislator is responsible to the constituents of the district, then to all of Iowa. Understanding that there are people of different views, the first should be the values and issues discussed during the campaign. A candidate should stay true to the values he/she presented during the campaign.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want iowa to be a place my grandchildren will be proud to call “home”

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

JFK was assassinated when I was in elementary school.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked in the family business running a commercial sewing machine

What is your favorite book? Why?

First -the Bible

Second -“A Lantern in her Hand” describes the life of a pioneer woman who succeeded in life and found joy in spite of disappointments and adversity..

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The Governor is the head of one of three branches of government. The Legislature is another equal branch. Ideally, the two should work toward the same goals. The Governor does not dictate but does have the power to influence legislation. The House and Senate have the responsibility to represent their specific districts, while also being cognizant of the entire state . Compromise between the two branches results in better outcomes for Iowans.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

We have an aging workforce. We need to sustain agriculture and improve our standing in education.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessary

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, every legislator comes with life experiences that will influence their perspective of bills before the House or Senate. When a legislator has personal experience working in a given field, he/she can shed light on the positive or negative impact of a bill. Few pieces of legislation are “neutral” Working together we can craft better laws.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

As the prospect of siting the hazardous CO2 pipelines and Solar”farms” has continued through the process, the the devastating impact of the impersonal “big business” bullies on the communities and families in my district is heartbreaking. One story of a family on a Century farm facing possible condemnation of their home and multi-generational farm stands out. As the business claims “you can’t change the rules midstream”, they have had no problem “changing the rules” on this family by stripping them of their heritage … just to cash in on a federal government tax “boondoggle”!

As a State legislator, I will do whatever I can to protect my constituents and other Iowans from Federal government overreach and unconstitutional rules. and takings.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Yes, the legislature should “reign in” the Emergency powers. While there should be a limited emergency power residing in the Executive branch (Governor or President) it should be limited and approved by the legislature.

What committees interest you?

Local government, State Government, appropriations. Education

Cindy Golding did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

On her 2011 campaign site, Golding details her policy goals:

Create Jobs: "Cindy will fight to lessen the burden of government regulations placed on Iowa employers... Cindy will fight to lower the taxes that Iowa families and employers face on a daily basis. She will not support budgets that are balanced by adding to our already heavy tax burden...By protecting Iowa’s right-to-work law, Cindy supports an individual’s right to choose to participate in a union."

Reduce Spending: "Cindy believes our government must function just as Iowa families do at home. The government should be forced to live within its means by making the hard decisions necessary to reduce spending when wallets are thin."

Improve Education: "Cindy believes we must restore Iowa’s reputation as a leader in education. A strong education creates the foundation our children will need to succeed in life and to become strong contributing members of society. And that educated workforce is critical to Iowa’s future business success, which provides further opportunity for all."

Golding discusses her stance on the issues.

Debates

On October 26, KCRG-TV9 hosted a candidate forum. The debate will also air at 1pm on October 31 and at 8pm on November 1. Highlights from the forum can be found here.

On October 27, the League of Women Voters will hold a candidate forum. The debate will be held at 7 p.m. in the Kirkwood Training and Outreach Center.[7]

Partisan Balance

Prior to Dandekar's resignation, the partisan balance of the Senate favored Democrats 26-24. If Republicans can flip District 18, the Senate will be tied 25-25.[8]

Pre-election polling

According to a poll of 878 likely voters, 52% favor Mathis while 46% favor Golding--the poll had a 3.3 margin of error. Mathis also leads in absentee ballots and fundraising. Gov. Terry Branstad (R) acknowledged that the race was an "uphill battle," attributing the disadvantage to Mathis' name recognition as a former television anchor. The poll was conducted by Public Policy Polling between November 4 and November 6. Details of the poll can be found here.[9]