Dems push for gun control, unity at annual Iowa dinner

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — The Democratic presidential candidates paused here for a moment of silence for the victims of the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, underscoring how the turbulent events of the past week have refocused the primary contest.

The brief lull in the primary campaign came as nearly the entire field descended on Northern Iowa on Friday night for the Wing Ding dinner, an annual event that has long served as an early testing ground for Democratic presidential aspirants.

In speech after speech, the candidates focused their fire on assailing President Donald Trump and Republicans for their lack of action on gun control and abetting white supremacy — rather than focusing their fire on each other.

Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio recounted his recent trip to Kentucky, where he led protests of Sen. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, for not acting on gun control legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. “We need gun reform in America, and we need it now,” Ryan said, bringing the crowd to its feet.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey used his five-minute slot to deliver a somber sermon on the “moral moment” faced by the country.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., who received rapturous applause from the crowd, focused his remarks on turning the page from the Trump presidency, describing white nationalism as a “national security threat.”

This year, Buttigieg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and J.D. Scholten, who is beginning a second campaign against Rep. Steve King of Iowa, won the strongest reception from the audience.

For many Democrats, the mass shootings last weekend offered just another reminder of their most deeply held desire: Ousting Trump. As he left the White House on Friday night for a vacation at his New Jersey golf club, Trump called for lawmakers to pass “meaningful” background checks, a sign that the president finds himself under new political pressure.

Setting himself apart from his rivals, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke stayed home in El Paso to attend memorials and visit with shooting victims in his mourning hometown.

The speeches at the Wing Ding dinner surpassed the two-hour mark, with 22 candidates delivering their pitches back-to-back in five-minute increments.

JOHN LOCHER/ASSOCIATED PRESS From left: Democratic president candidate and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper; New York Mayor Bill de Blasio; Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Andrew Yang; and Marianne Williamson embrace after a moment of silence before the Iowa Democratic Wing Ding at the Surf Ballroom, on Friday, in Clear Lake, Iowa.