Group says hunger is a concern of voters

A survey financed by the “Alliance to End Hunger” found Iowa Democrats who are regular Caucusgoers consider hunger issues a major concern. Tom Freedman served as an advisor to Bill Clinton and is now a political consultant. Freedman says they were “shocked” to discover that 90 percent of the Iowa and New Hampshire voters surveyed said hunger was an important issue to consider as they decide which candidate to vote for. Freedman says hunger is a “moral leadership issue” any one of the candidates could use to break out of the pack. Jim McLaughlin is a consultant and pollster who’s worked for Arnould Schwarzenegger, Bob Dole and other Republican candidates in the northeast, and he says hunger is a major untapped issue. Freedman says hunger and poverty issues ranked above terrorism and national security as the main concerns of voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. The pollsters asked voters which candidates they’d support, and found 22 percent of Iowa voters still undecided. McLaughlin says the poll shows the race “is still wide open.” The survey was conducted on September 30th and October 1st. The group “Bread for the World” estimates that nine million people in the U.S. live in a house where people regularly go hungry. After years of decline, participation in the federal food stamp program has gone up in the past two years.