Last night Senator Harkin Introduced Congressman Jim Leach at the Democratic National Convention. Congressman Leach, a Republican and former member of Iowa’s Congressional Delegation for 30 years, endorsed Barack Obama in early August. Click through to read the full text of Senator Harkin’s introduction of Congressman Leach.

Senator Harkin will be speaking at the Democratic National Convention tonight. He will deliver an introduction for Congressman and former member of Iowa’s Congressional Delegation Jim Leach.

Congressman Jim Leach, a Republican, served 30 years in Congress and is known for his independent streak and unyielding interest in the concerns of the people of Iowa. He has been an ardent supporter of Barack Obama since announcing his endorsement earlier this month.

Senator Harkin’s introduction of Congressman Leach and his speech are set to begin between 9:00-9:30 PM CDT. It will be broadcast live on C-SPAN along with the full night’s Democratic National Convention coverage.

Senator Harkin will be participating in a forum that will bring together state and federal officials to discuss strategies for reforming the nation’s broken health care system tomorrow as he finishes up his August Rural Tour. Senator Harkin believes we must immediately address this issue that leaves thousands of Iowans without quality health care coverage, hurts businesses that are struggling to offer health coverage to their employees, and impacts hospitals that are having difficulty keeping their doors open.

Senator Harkin gave the keynote address at the induction ceremony for Iowa’s new National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) facility last week and welcomed the first class of volunteers to the campus. As Chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that funds the Americorps program, Harkin worked to designate Vinton as the site for the Americorps NCCC facility, and secured $2.5 million to transform portions of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School into the residential campus.

UPDATE: Senator Harkin’s full August tour schedule is now live on the calendar!

In the month of August Senator Harkin will be taking a tour of Iowa’s rural communities. Senator Harkin will be touring flood relief efforts, meeting with Iowans, and visiting communities of all sizes to discuss moving the state forward and the issues that are important to you. Is the Senator visiting your community? Click here to find out!