Three months before a primary election determines the Democratic candidate for the governor of Iowa, four gubernatorial candidates fielded questions from ISU students and Ames community members on campus Monday night.

Mike Blouin, Chet Culver, Ed Fallon and Sal Mohamed, the four announced Democratic candidates for governor, met in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union for a debate sponsored by the ISU Political Science Club.

The candidate who emerges from the June 6 primary will face Rep. Jim Nussle of Iowa’s 1st District, who is the only Republican vying for the office, in a general election in November.

The Democratic candidates discussed a range of issues, some relating to Iowa college students, such as rising tuition costs and debt.

Blouin, former director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development and former U.S. congressman, stressed the importance of a long-term plan to freeze tuition levels and resume funding of the Iowa Board of Regents.

Culver, current Iowa secretary of state, took a similar approach, tying tuition prices to funding of the Regents. He also said making higher education in Iowa more affordable would keep students from leaving the state.

“Let’s make college more affordable,” he said. “Let’s allow high school students to earn up to two years of college credit so they’re more likely to attend Iowa schools.”

Fallon, who is in his seventh term in the Iowa House as a Des Moines representative, said he would increase higher education funding by repealing tax cuts for corporate and special interests, a hallmark of his campaign.

“[Current tuition increases] are not sustainable,” Fallon said. “Tuition must be taken more seriously by legislators.”

Mohamed, a Sioux City resident and an engineering manager for a Chicago pharmaceuticals manufacturer, said he would work for policies that would allow students to know specifically the degree to which tuition would increase years in advance.

Although members of the Iowa Legislature discussed the possibility of reinstating the death penalty in Iowa, Blouin, Fallon and Mohamed said they would not sign a bill to allow capital punishment under any circumstances, and Culver said it may be warranted under certain circumstances.

When asked about the issue of abortion, all four candidates said they would not sign legislation banning the practice should the debate be left to individual states. Blouin, however, said he would introduce programs that would eliminate domestic abuse, make contraception more available and increase opportunities for education, which he said would give women options other than abortion.

“I believe in the sanctity of life to the core of my being,” Blouin said. “But I also believe laws should be enforceable.”