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[Note: This material is copyright by the Des Moines Register, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of the Des Moines Register.]

The 2004 appropriation has garnered a lot of attention since U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, tucked the earmark into a massive federal spending bill.

Lamberti, the Iowa Senate Republican president, has been vocal against earmark spending, often called "pork," while Boswell has touted his efforts to get such appropriations for his district.

Boswell, however, voted against the appropriation including the rain forest money. The Earthpark project was originally slated for Coralville, but now backers are looking for a new community and have narrowed it down to two finalists: Pella and Riverside. Pella is part of the 3rd District.

Lamberti is trying to unseat Boswell, who is seeking his sixth term in Congress.

On Thursday, during an appearance with Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman in Des Moines, Lamberti said he would have opposed the rain forest project.

"I try to differentiate between high-priority projects and lower-priority projects, and until we have the federal budget balanced, those types of projects should not be funded," he said.

Lamberti is running a campaign focused on lowering taxes and reducing federal spending, and Mehlman said those positions will make him attractive to voters.

"Leonard Boswell (has) a record of not being in favor of reducing federal pork, and obviously ... you have a record of being very much in favor of reducing that," he said.

Boswell often talks about his efforts to bring up earmarks for central Iowa. Earlier this week, for example, Boswell talked while campaigning in Ankeny about his efforts to bring home money for such high-profile Des Moines projects as Interstate Highway 235 reconstruction and the Principal Riverwalk.

Boswell noted he has joined other Democrats in proposing "pay as you go," substitute budgets failing to get support in the GOP-controlled House.

Democrats have said Lamberti's criticism of earmarks is hypocritical, noting he wrote narrowly tailored legislation in 2005 and 2006 that directed money to a nonprofit group called Excel Community Outreach Center Inc., bypassing normal competitive channels.