Democrat Bruce Braley of Iowa says today’s young entrepreneurs differ from his generation’s because they “[sit] around in a large space with white boards.” The U.S. Senate candidate said these “Millennial” start-up companies in Iowa sometimes think of ideas that go “nowhere.”
“When I go to start-up companies in Iowa, I do not see what I saw when I walked into factories in Iowa 20 years ago,” said Braley to a group of Iowa manufacturers Thursday. “I see people sitting around in a large space with white boards. It may be 3 o’clock in the afternoon and they’re drinking beer and brainstorming. And coming up with lots of ideas, some of which are going nowhere.” Listen to the audio below:
Braley, a 56-year-old 3-term House member, also compared the younger generation’s connectedness through technology with what he referred to as his Baby Boom generation’s “work ethic.” The complete audio of his speech is available here.
Braley’s Republican opponent, Joni Ernst, also spoke to the group earlier in the day. Both candidates are fighting to succeed retiring Democrat Tom Harkin in what’s become one of the hottest races of the midterm elections. According to the Real Clear Politics average of polls, Ernst has a slight, 1.5-point lead over Braley.
Braley and Ernst will debate Saturday night in Davenport.
