The wife of a man who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11 is in Iowa, campaigning for democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Monica Gabriel attended a debate-watching party last night in Cedar Rapids and is making speaking appearances this morning in Davenport. Gabriel says she’s never been politically active before, but always leaned republican — voting for the first President Bush back in 1988. She doesn’t remember voting in 2000, but is now campaigning across the country for Kerry. “I think September 11th changed my life in a lot ways,” she told Radio Iowa during an interview Thursday afternoon. “Not only was my husband murdered, for three years I’ve been looking for answers and accountability and reform, and none of it was achievable under this administration.” Gabriel is one of the 9/11 widows who fought for creation of the 9/11 Commission. Gabriel says Bush fought the 9/11 families “every step of the way” and she had “no other choice” but to “come out” for Kerry. Gabriel says Kerry understands there’s a difference between the war on terror and the war in Iraq, and understands it’s important to rebuild relationships with other countries as well as spend the money to ensure the homeland is protected. Gabriel says Iowa isn’t getting the homeland security funding needed to bolster local “first responders” as well as protect the country from acts of agro-terrorism. “There have been some minor things that have been done, but by no stretch of the imagination are we as a nation protected on our own shores,” she says. Gabriel campaigned with democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards in Davenport on September 23rd.
