A picnic was the last thing anyone would have expected from Democrats this weekend.

But after independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s scathing report characterized their president as a philanderer, Iowa party members tried to focus on something else at their annual fall barbecue, held Saturday night at Brookside Park.

“I thought it would be pretty gloomy after they [released] all that,” said Ames resident Emmy Shakeshaft.

“But you can’t keep ’em down,” she said, gesturing to the 200 people enjoying a picnic spread and the upbeat sounds of the Politically Correct Jazz Ensemble.

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin was one of several high-profile Iowa Democrats at the event. As he chatted with Shakeshaft and her husband, Iowa State assistant professor emeritus of political science A. J. Shakeshaft, the talk turned inevitably toward President Bill Clinton’s troubles.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Harkin said, “that [Republicans] are going to use this for their political agenda.”

Later, Harkin was asked if he was glad to be out of the nation’s capital and away from the frenzy surrounding the report’s release.

“Yes,” he said emphatically. “Yes, with an exclamation point.”

Gubernatorial candidate Tom Vilsack was optimistic that Iowa Democrats would not let the scandal stop them from voting in November’s election.

“Look at this crowd,” said Vilsack, who is running against Republican Jim Ross Lightfoot, a former U.S. Representative from Iowa’s 3rd District. “If people were worried or upset or disgusted, they wouldn’t be at this event.”

Though he trails Lightfoot by at least 15 percentage points in most polls, Vilsack said he will narrow the gap as people get to know him better.

“That’s only with 50 to 60 percent name recognition,” he said. “This is going to be a very close race.”

Vilsack compared Saturday’s improbable 27-9 Cyclone triumph over the Iowa Hawkeyes to his tough climb toward Terrace Hill.

“The great thing about that victory is that it’s very symbolic of this race,” he said. “The Republicans expect to win.”

Just as he did during Friday night’s debate in Sioux City, Vilsack criticized Lightfoot for his plan to trim Iowa’s income tax rate.

“Last night, what the people of Iowa found out was that [Lightfoot] wanted to give tax cuts to the wealthy,” he said.

In the debate, Lightfoot called for a 5 percent reduction of the income tax over five years for all taxpayers.

Vilsack said that strategy would “provide most of the benefits to the wealthiest Iowans” and undercut Iowa’s schools.

Harkin, a 1962 ISU political science graduate, also had issues on his mind, even though he is not facing election this fall.

He said a remedy for low grain prices will be a priority once he gets back to Washington.

“Freedom-to-Farm has been a disaster,” he said of the 1996 farm bill, which phased out the government’s agricultural price supports.

“It’s fine as long as the exports are up and the prices are up, but we don’t control what happens in Asia, as we found out,” he said.

Harkin said Congress needs to provide a “safety net” by passing legislation eliminating caps on loans to farmers.

Story County Attorney Steven Holmes is up for re-election, and he said he will emphasize his experience in order to defeat challenger Richard Vander Mey of Nevada.

“My opponent’s never [tried] a Class A felony, to my knowledge,” he said, referring to the convictions he sought — and received — for Michael Runyan and Luke Abrams in the murder of Uri Sellers at Veishea 1997.

“A case like that’s worth a hundred other cases,” he said.

Holmes shied away from bragging about his achievements, saying, “I’m not going to coast. I’m going to get out there and work.”

Vander Mey is no stranger to county elections, having run unsuccessfully against County Attorney Mary Richards in 1990 and 1994. Richards is retiring after 20 years at the helm, leaving the office up for grabs.

Former state Supreme Court justice Mark McCormick, who ran against Vilsack in the Democratic primary in June, and U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell also attended Saturday night’s picnic.

Boswell, who represents Iowa’s 3rd District, is seeking a second term in the House. His opponent is state Sen. Larry McKibben, R-Marshalltown.