Senator Harkin spoke to the Iowa Democratic State Convention this weekend, rallying the 1,100 delegates in attendance and promoting party unity moving forward to November. He also spoke again to the tragic circumstances surrounding the flooding that has hit so many Iowans over the past several weeks.

According to The Gazette

"I had planned to come here today to celebrate the rising tide in the Iowa Democratic Party, but tragically the term has a different context now," he said. "We have seen nature at its worst, but we've also seen Iowans at their very best."

Harkin said he did not plan to hold anything back in meeting the challenge of Marion newcomer Christopher Reed, his GOP opponent, as he seeks an unprecedented fifth U.S. Senate term for a Democrat in Iowa.

He said this election year has a similar feel to 1974 — a year that launched his political career with a U.S. House victory that was part of strong Democratic gains.

Read the rest of the story atThe Gazette