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Congressman Steve King

Congressman Steve King

A successful businessman, Steve King served in the Iowa State Senate for six years before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002.

Representing Iowa’s new fifth congressional district, he brings the concerns and ideas from people of the fifth district with him to work on the Agriculture Committee.

This month, Classical WETA 90.9 FM talked with Congressman King about classical music, his likes and interests, and how he divides his time between Washington, D.C. and his home state of Iowa.

What is your favorite classical music piece?
I am not ashamed to say it, Beethoven’s 5th The piece draws-up tremendous personal memories.

What is your favorite D.C. area restaurant or chef?
The Capitol Grill. I don’t know the chef but do know that they serve a slightly better steak than I do off my own wood coals and homemade grill in Iowa.

Which is your favorite local museum?
The National Archives where you can see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, all in the original. John Hancock’s signature is still bold and clear. You can place your hand within eight inches of the document upon which our Founding Fathers pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

Where do you like to go on your day off?
Some of Marilyn’s and my best days have been spent by putting the top down on the old convertible and cruising the countryside in Iowa. If she’s not along, my hunting shotgun or fishing pole are the next best company.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
I live in a fishbowl inhabited by political barracudas who feed off of any hint of a “guilty pleasure”. That’s their “guilty pleasure”. I can’t afford any.

Which three historical people would you most like to have dinner with?
If the choice is not limited to mortals, my only choice would be Jesus Christ. If limited to mortals, I would choose Lady Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and Pope John Paul II. If the personalities at the table would allow it, I would select the topic, “How the West won the Cold War”. I would also invite Gorbachev to join us for desert.

What is your favorite local sports team?
The 4K Racing Team, featuring our #2 son, Mick King as driver and their modified dirt track race car (4K), pit crewed by he and his brothers.

What is your favorite local arts venue?
The west lawn of the U.S. Capitol building, especially for the Independence Day concert. There is no better setting and no better day.

What is one thing you'd like everyone to know about your home state?
All new wealth is drawn from either the soil, drawn from under the earth, or is drawn from the sea. Of the three, the soil is by far the richest source of new wealth, and of the states, Iowa is the most abundantly blessed. Having made my living digging in the earth, I can tell you the layers of Iowa soil, from bedrock on up to rich black topsoil, are perfectly structured to soak up rain like a sponge, store it in the subsoil, and meter it out to the plant during dry conditions. Iowa is the best place in the world to raise a crop and to raise a family.