The Republican challenger for the 3rd District seat in the U.S. House took it easy on Saturday letting a U.S. Representative do most of the speaking.

More than 20 people gathered in the Smokey Row meeting room to see Kim Schmett and U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, on Saturday morning.

Schmett is in a comfortable position for a challenger; he has no opponent for the Republican primary while the incumbent Democrat, Rep. Leonard Boswell, is in a primary battle with Ed Fallon.

Schmett began by thanking the crowd and giving special thanks to farmers for taking time out from planting crops. He said that the Democrats in the U.S. House are challenging basic Iowa values. He said two years ago, Boswell won by the smallest amount of any Democrat incumbent in the House. Boswell edged out challenger Jeff Lamberti, a Republican, in 2006. Schmett said that Fallon running against him is another sign that the 3rd District seat is vulnerable.

He said he is pro-life and for strong Second Amendment rights before introducing King. The last time King had been in town was to campaign for Fred Thompson in his failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination, King said.

King said that Republicans own the vast spaces of the country while Democrats own the inner cities, looking after the interests of the big cities.

To combat rising fuel costs, King advocated drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, claiming that Democrats are doing everything they can to make energy scarce or regulated because they do not want more energy on the market. ANWR, which is above the arctic circle, does not have a single tree, King said.

He also said that vegetarians in the Democratic Party are trying to impose their ideology on everyone, and mentioned changes to rules on horse slaughter as an example.

On Iraq, King said the tactics that have been changed by Gen. Petreaus are successful. He said that over time the violence will wind down.

“We’ve invested in freedom,” King said.

King said he likes Boswell personally, but said he sides with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., too much.

“I want a small government,” King said. “Let you improve the quality of your life.”

King said Schmett has put effort into the campaign and is running for the right reasons.

During questions from the audience, King said global warming should not hinder economics, saying more people die from poverty each year than from anything else. He also said the cause of global warming needs to be found and the he believes it will eventually turn itself around.

Schmett took a question on stem cell research, saying he supports adult stem cell research, but not embryonic stem cell research.