East Iowa Government reports on the candidate forum held between the two people running in Iowa's special election for Senate Seat 18:

From the outset, candidates running in a special election in a Linn County Senate district agreed to disagree and strayed from that game plan rarely in the first of two public forums.

“There are differences,” Democrat Liz Mathis of Cedar Rapids said in her opening remarks [...]“Cindy advocates limited government. I think she feels that Iowa future is one of limited opportunities and short resources.”

Republican Cindy Golding agreed there are differences, but said her goal is to “get government out of the way of Iowans … to let the true genius of Iowans show … let Iowans grow and prosper.”

... The hour-long forum that featured a 20-minute discussion between the candidates without questions or refereeing by moderators didn’t satisfy everyone. As the forum ended, one man shouted out that he wanted to know where the candidates stood on same-sex marriage and whether the candidates would support a House-passed resolution to put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the ballot.

In other venues, Golding has indicated she would support letting Iowans vote on the constitutional amendment. Mathis has said she supports the Iowa Supreme Court decision striking down a state ban on same-sex marriages.