Candidates running in the midterm election from the Democratic party will be joined by a libertarian candidate and a Liberty Caucus Member to answer questions from the Iowa State community.

The candidates are set to speak at the Memorial Union between Monday and Friday, and will feature:

• Deidre DeJear, Democrat running for governor of Iowa, Oct. 11. 6 to 7 p.m
• Admiral Michael Franken, Democrat running for U.S. Senate, Friday. 11 a.m. to noon.
• Ryan Melton, Democrat running for Iowa’s fourth representative district, Monday. 5 to 6 p.m.
• Rick Stewart, a Libertarian running for Governor, Monday. 6 to 7 p.m.
• Bryan Jack Holder, a Liberty Caucus Member running for Iowa’s fourth representative district, Monday. 7 to 8 p.m.

Republicans Gov. Kim Reynolds, Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Randy Feenstra will not be in attendance at the town halls. Melton will be the first to arrive on campus on Oct. 3. Melton is an Iowa State alum with a background in political science and history and now works for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. He is running against incumbent Randy Feenstra, as well as third-party candidate Bryan Jack Holder.

Melton’s platform includes advocating for reproductive rights, protecting access to social security, funding public education and raising the minimum wage.

Melton will speak between 5 and 6 p.m. in room 3560 of the Memorial Union. Further details can be found on his campaign website.

The next speaker will be Rick Stewart. Stewart is an Iowa native and a long-time resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Stewart is the founder of Frontier Cooperative Herbs but became a politician after being inspired by Gary Johnson’s presidential campaign in 2012, according to his website. He has previously run for Linn County Sheriff, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. senator and now, governor of Iowa.

His platform involves advocating for Second Amendment rights, decreasing teacher turnover, ending the War on Drugs and preventing the banning of books in public schools

Stewart will speak between 6 and 7 p.m. Monday in room 3560 of the Memorial Union. Further details can be found on his campaign website.

The last speaker on Monday will be Bryan Jack Holder, who is the third candidate running to represent Iowa’s fourth district. Holder is a member of the Liberty Caucus, making him a third-party candidate.

Holder is a Council Bluffs, Iowa, native with prior campaign experience, including running for representative in Iowa’s third district as well as board and county seats throughout the state. His current profession is as a videographer and citizen journalist. Holder will speak between 7 p.m and 8 p.m. in room 3560 of the Memorial Union. His Facebook account, which features campaign information can be found at this link.

On Friday, Franken will speak in the next part of the Town Hall Lecture Series. Franken is a retired Navy veteran and is an Iowa native. Franken is running for the U.S. Senate this election against incumbent Chuck Grassley.

His platform includes: expanding medicare and protecting social security, promoting equality through reform of the justice system, furthering gun control restrictions and taking measures to prevent climate change among other topics.

Franken will speak between 11 a.m. and noon in room 3512 of the Memorial Union.

The last speaker of this series is Deidre DeJear, the Democratic candidate for governor, who will speak on Oct. 11. DeJear is currently running against Reynolds, the incumbent, as well as Stewart.

DeJear is a Mississippi native who moved to Iowa to attend Drake University and pursue journalism. Since then, DeJear has founded Back to School Iowa, a non-profit organization that seeks to help support youth in furthering their education. DeJear also owns a small business and works with other small businesses to help with their growth.

Her platform includes increasing access to birth control and codifying abortion into state law, increasing the minimum age to buy an assault rifle, legalizing cannabis for recreational use, increase access to healthcare, among other topics.

DeJear will speak between 6 p.m and 7 p.m in the Great Hall. More information can be found on her campaign website.

These events are free to the public, and information on the event can be found on Iowa State’s Lecture Series website.