Bleeding Heartland - SD-49

Democrats have failed to convey the importance of the Iowa Senate

desmoinesdem — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:41:11 GMT

On one level, yesterday's special election in Iowa Senate district 22 was no surprise. One would expect a Republican victory in a district with a large GOP voter registration advantage, where Republicans spent far more money and only the Republican candidate ran television commercials.

On the other hand, the special election loss is a big red flag that Iowa Democrats have failed to communicate how crucial it is to hold their narrow Senate majority.
The western suburbs of Des Moines are not promising territory for Democrats, but in Desmund Adams, Democrats had a hard-working candidate with a compelling personal story. Adams knocked on nearly 8,000 doors and appeared at countless public events around the district during the past two years. Anything can happen in a special election, and turnout was poor yesterday on both sides. Charles Schneider defeated Adams by 5,371 votes to 4,117.

That's barely 20 percent turnout in a district with 12,926 registered Democrats, 17,392 Republicans, and 15,996 no-party voters as of December 2012 (pdf).

More than 23,000 voters cast ballots in the 2011 special election to represent Iowa Senate district 18. The early vote alone in that election nearly matched total participation in yesterday's election.

The early vote in Senate district 22 was lower than I expected. As of December 11, 1,723 Democrats in Senate district 22 had returned ballots, compared to 2,236 Republicans, 455 no-party voters, and one voter with another party registration.

Iowa Senate Democrats did at least two district-wide mailings of absentee ballot requests to Democrats, but the return rate was extremely low. Volunteers including myself made follow-up phone calls and knocked on doors. Some labor unions also had people out on the doors, at least in Polk County precincts. It was hard to catch people at home during the holiday season, and hard to get people interested in a special election so soon after the marathon presidential race. "We're just so over the elections," one registered Democrat told me at the door.

Talking about this race with many friends and acquaintances, I realized that even highly engaged Democrats do not always know how much is riding on the narrow Iowa Senate majority. Name almost any government service that's important to Democrats (early childhood education, K-12 education, higher education, health care, transportation). Without the Senate majority, Iowa would be spending less on that priority. Name any right that's important to Democrats (pro-choice, marriage equality, collective bargaining). Those rights would have been eroded without the Senate majority.

Senate district 22 was always a long-shot but should have been achievable, especially since the Republican candidate only managed to garner 5,371 votes--nothing to brag about given the money they spent.

Perhaps it's unfair to compare this special election to Senate district 18, when control of the Senate was riding on the outcome. In this case, we already knew Democrats would retain a majority for the next two years. The question was whether that majority would grow from 26-24 to 27-23. Also, the Senate district 18 special didn't happen in the context of election fatigue and the holiday season.

Still, a top priority for whoever will lead the Iowa Democratic Party into the next election cycle must be educating Democrats about the state legislature's importance. In many ways, state lawmakers influence our daily lives more than whether the president is a Democrat or a Republican.

There will be no Obama for America machine working Iowa in 2014. Governor Terry Branstad is guaranteed to have more campaign funds than his Democratic opponent. The Iowa Democratic Party's "coordinated campaign" for GOTV may not be able to match Republican spending, even if Senator Tom Harkin seeks a sixth term and especially if he retires.

Prospects for holding the Iowa Senate majority appear strong, since Republicans have fewer targets than they had in 2012. Looking ahead to the 2014 elections, Democrats will hold fourteen of the 25 Iowa Senate districts on the ballot. But only a few of the Democratic-held seats look potentially competitive, especially if any of the following incumbents retire: Daryl Beall (Senate district 5), Dennis Black (district 15), Amanda Ragan (district 27), and Rita Hart (district 49). Just-defeated Republican Merlin Bartz may be setting himself up to run against Ragan.

Democrats should take nothing for granted looking to 2014. Another GOP landslide like 2010 (mediocre economy, "Obamacare" not perceived to be working, low turnout among Democratic-leaning groups) could easily claim the political lives of incumbent senators who appear "safe" now.

Democrats don't have many promising Iowa Senate targets in 2014. Of the eleven Republicans up for re-election, only two represent districts with a significant Democratic voter registration advantage: Rick Bertrand (Senate district 7, Sioux City) and Mark Chelgren (district 41, including Ottumwa and Fairfield). Sandy Greiner's district 39 is relatively balanced in terms of voter registration, but if she runs for re-election, this well-known incumbent will have a big advantage. Greiner can raise as much money as she needs, given her long previous incumbency and her involvement with the 501(c)4 group American Future Fund.

Any relevant comments are welcome in this thread.

Where things stand in the Iowa Senate races

desmoinesdem — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:51:34 GMT

Democrats are assured of maintaining their majority in the Iowa Senate, with one race headed for a recount and another to be decided in a December 11 special election.
Here's how the Democrats maintained their majority. Of the 24 Senate incumbents not up for re-election this year, thirteen are Democrats:

Daryl Beall
Dennis Black
Joe Bolkcom
Tod Bowman
Bill Dotzler
Bob Dvorsky
Jack Hatch
Rob Hogg
Wally Horn
Matt McCoy
Herman Quirmbach
Amanda Ragan
Joe Seng

Nine Democratic incumbents were re-elected last night:

Tom Courtney (district 44)
Jeff Danielson (district 30)
Dick Dearden (district 16)
Mike Gronstal (district 8)
Pam Jochum (district 50)
Liz Mathis (district 34)
Brian Schoenjahn (district 32)
Steve Sodders (district 36)
Mary Jo Wilhelm (district 26)

Three Democratic candidates won open seats:

Janet Petersen (district 18)
Rich Taylor (district 42)
Rita Hart (district 49)

One Democratic candidate defeated a Republican incumbent:

Chris Brase (district 46)

Total: 26

John Beard has not conceded the open-seat race in Senate district 28. The Iowa Secretary of State's website shows Mike Breitbach ahead by 43 votes, while the Des Moines Register's site shows Breitbach ahead by 37 votes.

I don't know yet whether any provisional ballots remain to be counted. Late-arriving absentee ballots will count as long as they were postmarked by November 5. There will be a recount in Senate district 28.

Recounts did not change the outcome in the two closest Iowa Senate races in 2010.

The results in Senate district 22 do not count because of Senator Pat Ward's untimely death last month. Republicans meet on November 8 to select a nominee to face Democrat Desmund Adams in the December 11 special election. Ward's widower, John Ward, is seeking the nomination, but other candidates are expected to step forward. Republicans have a sizable voter registration advantage in Senate district 22.

Any comments about the Iowa Senate elections are welcome in this thread.

UPDATE: I should have mentioned that Merlin Bartz wasn't ready to concede Senate district 26 to Wilhelm last night. I don't see how he can make up a 120-vote margin with late-arriving absentee ballots.

SECOND UPDATE: Bartz conceded on Wednesday but tried to cast a shadow over the outcome.

"I congratulate Sen. Wilhelm on her victory," he said in a news release.
"She ran a stellar campaign and I wish her the best in her service next January."
Bartz said he and his family wanted to thank all his volunteers and supporters.
"We have analyzed the 120 vote margin in conjunction with additional provisional and absentee ballots that are being and may be received and do not believe they would change the outcome and have chosen to not seek a recount," said Bartz.
"I continue to be troubled by the ongoing criminal investigation into voter fraud in Floyd County but do not believe that prolonging the election until the prosecution is finished is in the best interest of the citizens of this district or of this state."

Democratic and Republican party spending in the Iowa Senate races

desmoinesdem — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 01:16:09 GMT

Candidates for the Iowa legislature were required to submit campaign finance disclosure reports on October 19 and November 2. The Schedule E forms on "In-Kind Contributions" contained the most interesting numbers, because they showed how Democratic and Republican party leaders are allocating resources across the battleground districts.

After the jump I've enclosed in-kind contribution figures for the Senate districts expected to be in play tomorrow. Candidates running in other Senate races did not report large in-kind contributions from their respective parties.
Republican candidates for the Iowa Senate received the bulk of their in-kind contributions from the "Republican Party of Iowa and its Eisenhower Club." For brevity, I'm calling that the Iowa GOP below. Senate Minority Leader Jerry Behn reported giving $60,000 to the state party on his October 19 filing and more than $185,000 to the party on his November 2 filing. Senate Minority Whip Brad Zaun gave just $5,000 to the Polk County Republican Party and $11,500 to his party's Senate majority fund--a heck of a lot less than I'd expect for an ambitious politician. Keep in mind that Zaun represents wealthy precincts in Urbandale and doesn't have a general election opponent this year. I thought he would follow the example of his Senate colleague Bill Dix, who spread his campaign cash around to several GOP Senate challengers in the fall of 2010.

Democratic candidates for the Iowa Senate received the bulk of their in-kind contributions from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund or from the Iowa Democratic Party. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal donated more than $900,000 from his Senate campaign account to the state party.

All of the numbers given below reflect in-kind contributions.

Senate district 6

Mary Bruner reported $106,526.72 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (October 19 disclosure) and did not file a November 2 disclosure.

Mark Segebart reported $3,467.10 from the Iowa GOP (October 19 disclosure) and $31,306.68 from the Iowa GOP (November 2 disclosure).

Senate district 8

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal reported $135,072.44 from the Iowa Democratic Party (October 19 disclosure) and $57,597.02 from the Iowa Democratic Party (November 2 disclosure).

Al Ringgenberg reported $73,281.10 from the Iowa GOP (October 19 disclosure) and $74,943.06 from the Iowa GOP (November 2 disclosure).

Senate district 26

Mary Jo Wilhelm reported $224,922.92 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (October 19 disclosure) and $157,288 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (November 2 disclosure).

Merlin Bartz reported $35,605.84 from the Iowa GOP (October 19 disclosure) and $65,462.05 from the Iowa GOP plus $7,545.47 from the Team Iowa PAC (November 2 disclosure). Nick Ryan runs the Team Iowa PAC; he is better known to Bleeding Heartland readers as the leader of the 501(c)4 group American Future Fund.

Senate district 28

John Beard reported $144,752.56 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (October 19 disclosure) and $138,284.72 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (November 2 disclosure).

Mike Breitbach reported $39,149.27 from the Iowa GOP (October 19 disclosure) and $43,721.41 from the Iowa GOP (November 2 disclosure).

Senate district 30

Senator Jeff Danielson reported $27,000 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (October 19 disclosure) and $118,913.00 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (November 2 disclosure).

Matt Reisetter reported $48,433.80 from the Iowa GOP (October 19 disclosure) and $105,153.70 from the Iowa GOP (November 2 disclosure).

Senate district 32

Senator Brian Schoenjahn reported $60,527.56 from the Iowa Democratic Party (October 19 disclosure) and $49,179.36 from the Iowa Democratic Party (November 2 disclosure).

Elliott Henderson reported $36,977.91 from the Iowa GOP (October 19 disclosure) and $44,442.59 from the Iowa GOP (November 2 disclosure)

Senate district 34

Senator Liz Mathis reported $40,455.24 from the Iowa Democratic Party (October 19 disclosure) and $20,670 from the Iowa Democratic Party (November 2 disclosure).

Republican challenger Ryan Flood did not report in-kind contributions from the Iowa GOP.

Senate district 36

Senator Steve Sodders reported $134,281.10 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (October 19 disclosure) and $224,972.93 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (November 2 disclosure).

Jane Jech reported $32,041.26 from the Iowa GOP (October 19 disclosure) and $14,636.04 from the Iowa GOP (November 2 disclosure).

Senate district 42

Rich Taylor reported $144,531.64 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (October 19 disclosure) and $106,309.12 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (November 2 disclosure).

Larry Kruse reported $26,315.33 from the Iowa GOP (October 19 disclosure) and $12,128.17 from the Iowa GOP (November 2 disclosure).

Senate district 46

Chris Brase reported $166,469.54 from the Iowa Democratic Party (October 19 disclosure) and $157,452.28 from the Iowa Democratic Party (November 2 disclosure).

Senator Shawn Hamerlinck reported $30,318.61 from the Iowa GOP (October 19 disclosure) and did not file a November 2 disclosure report.

Senate district 48

Nate Willems reported $236,773.38 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (October 19 disclosure) and $41,000 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (November 2 disclosure).

Dan Zumbach reported $22,952.00 from the Iowa GOP (October 19 disclosure) and $54,148.16 from the Iowa GOP (November 2 disclosure).

Senate district 49

Rita Hart reported $186,598.07 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (October 19 disclosure) and $103,322.80 from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund (November 2 disclosure).

Andrew Naeve reported $24,323.82 from the Iowa GOP (October 19 disclosure) and $10,155.66 from the Iowa GOP (November 2 disclosure).

Four strategies for interest group Iowa legislative endorsements

desmoinesdem — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:47:54 GMT

Many candidates for the Iowa House and Senate tout endorsements by outside groups in their campaign communications. Some of those groups pay for direct mail, phone calls, or even advertising supporting their endorsed candidates.

Iowa's influential political action committees and advocacy groups have very different ways of getting involved in the state legislative campaign. Follow me after the jump for examples of four distinct strategies.
Bipartisan, focused on protecting incumbents

For many corporate or industry-aligned PACs, giving money to elected officials in both parties is an insurance policy. We see the same phenomenon in Iowa as some organizations endorse numerous state representatives and senators from both parties for re-election. Two good examples come to mind: the Iowa Corn Growers Association PAC and the Iowa Credit Unions League.

The Corn Growers PAC endorsed 67 incumbents for re-election but no challengers or candidates in open House and Senate districts.

For Iowa Senate (13):
Merlin Bartz (R), Jerry Behn (R), Thomas Courtney (D), Jeff Danielson (D), Dick Dearden (D), Joni Ernst (R), Randy Feenstra (R), Mike Gronstal (D), Shawn Hamerlinck (R), Tim Kapucian (R), Brian Schoenjahn (D), Steve Sodders (D), and Mary Jo Wilhelm (D).
For Iowa House of Representatives (54):
Dwayne Alons (R), Chip Baltimore (R), Clel Baudler (R), Josh Byrnes (R), Dennis Cohoon (D), Peter Cownie (R), Dave Deyoe (R), Cecil Dolecheck (R), Jack Drake (R), Greg Forristall (R), Joel Fry (R), Julian Garrett (R), Pat Grassley (R), Bob Hager (R), Chris Hall (D), Curt Hanson (D), Mary Ann Hanusa (R), David Heaton (R), Bill Heckroth (D), Lisa Heddens (D), Lee Hein (R), Dan Huseman (R), Ron Jorgensen (R), Anesa Kajtazovic (D), Jerry Kearns (D), Dan Kelley (D), Jarad Klein (R), Kevin Koester (R), Bob Kressig (D), Jim Lykam (D), Mary Mascher (D), Kevin McCarthy (D), Helen Miller (D), Brian Moore (R), Dan Muhlbauer (D), Patrick Murphy (D), Steve Olson (R), Kraig Paulsen (R), Ross Paustian (R), Brian Quirk (D), Henry Rayhons (R), Walt Rogers (R), Kirsten Running-Marquardt (D), Thomas Sands (R), Renee Schulte (R), Jason Schultz (R), Jeff Smith (R), Mark Smith (D), Chuck Soderberg (R), Roger Thomas (D), Linda Upmeyer (R), Matt Windschitl (R), John Wittneben (D) and Gary Worthan (R).

Some of those incumbents are unopposed, while others are fighting for their political lives. Many have been members of agriculture and/or appropriations committees in the Iowa House or Senate during the past two years.

The Iowa Credit Union League endorsed 58 Iowa House candidates, including many from each party. Most are incumbents or candidates in open-seat races. The only challenger on the list is Tom Schueller, and he's a former incumbent who lost his Iowa House seat in 2010.

The credit unions group is also backing 25 senators or Senate candidates. A few will not be up for re-election until 2014. The others are a mixture of incumbents and candidates in open-seat races.

Support is not determined by party affiliation or on political ideology, but rather on where candidates stand on the import issues facing credit unions and their members. In the case of incumbents, it's based on their voting record on important credit union issues as well as responses to our candidate questionnaire. In the case of challengers and open seat candidates, it's based on the questionnaire and, many times, in-person conversations with credit union and ICUL staff. The analysis is thorough and substantive.
As a result of this non-political analysis, credit unions are supporting Republicans and Democrats at almost equal levels in 2012. The amount of CUPAC contributions that have been provided to state legislative candidates is very close to 50/50. In short, support is based on policy, not politics.

The Iowa Credit Union PAC has sent direct mail on behalf of three incumbent senators in tough races: Democrat Jeff Danielson (Senate district 30) and Republicans Merlin Bartz (Senate district 26) and Shawn Hamerlinck (Senate district 46). The eye-catching mail pieces advocating for Bartz, Hamerlinck, and Danielson have a similar look and feel. No matter which party gains control of the Iowa Senate, someone in the majority caucus will be particularly grateful to the credit unions.

Bipartisan, but willing to take on unfriendly incumbents

Some interest groups are willing to support any incumbent who supports their agenda, regardless of party. At the same time, they don't hesitate to endorse challengers to lawmakers who vote against their agenda. The National Rifle Association is a good example. You can view their 2012 endorsements for Iowa here, along with grades for all of the sitting legislators up for re-election. Although the NRA backs a lot more Republicans than Democrats, two Democratic senators (Tom Courtney and Dick Dearden) did receive the group's seal of approval. Dearden championed the return of dove-hunting to Iowa and has led the charge against restricting dove hunters' use of lead ammunition.

The NRA isn't supporting any Iowa House Democrats this year, because the whole House Democratic caucus opposed "stand your ground" legislation during the 2012 session. Many Republican challengers have the NRA's backing.

But during the 2010 campaign, the NRA endorsed lots of Democratic lawmakers as well as Governor Chet Culver. That year, a Democratic-controlled Iowa House and Senate passed legislation making it easier to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Partisan, but mostly leaving incumbents alone

The Iowa Industry PAC, affiliated with the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, is a good example of an interest group with a mostly partisan approach to elections. The Iowa Industry PAC describes itself as "non-partisan," supporting candidates from both parties. In reality, this group backs only a handful of token Democrats during each election cycle. In 2010, the PAC endorsed only three Democratic senators (two at no risk of losing) and a few House Democrats who had helped block pro-labor legislation.

~~This year, Brian Quirk and Dave Jacoby are the only Iowa House Democrats to receive the Iowa Industry PAC's endorsement.~~ Neither has a general election opponent on the ballot (pdf). CORRECTION: The Iowa Industry PAC endorsed seven Democratic Iowa House candidates. Three have no opponent on the ballot (Quirk, Jacoby, and Nancy Dunkel). Two are in districts Democrats should win easily (Helen Miller and Sally Stutsman). The other two are in heavily contested seats (Dan Muhlbauer and Joe Riding).

Meanwhile, only two sitting Senate Democrats received the Iowa Industry PAC's 2012 endorsement, Liz Mathis and Steve Sodders. A few months ago, political insiders expected both to win re-election, although the Sodders race in Senate district 36 is up in the air.

Whereas the truly bipartisan Iowa Credit Union PAC endorsed many Democrats and Republicans running for open seats, the Iowa Industry PAC endorsed ~~solely~~ mostly Republicans in House and Senate districts lacking an incumbent. (Correction: Riding, Stutsman, and Dunkel are running in open seats.) Clearly this PAC wants Republicans to hold their Iowa House majority and take control of the Iowa Senate.

That said, the Iowa Industry PAC appears less willing to make waves than the NRA. Only two GOP challengers have the PAC's official endorsement: Matt Reisetter (Danielson's opponent in Senate district 30) and Allen Burt (running against Mark Smith in House district 71).

Majority-making ideological: partisan and actively opposing unfriendly incumbents

For some interest groups, one political party is clearly more in line with the legislative agenda. Those groups can only hope to exercise real influence when that party is in the majority. So, labor unions endorse many Democratic incumbents and some (but not all) challengers to sitting Republicans. That's not to say a labor union wouldn't endorse a pro-labor Republican if one existed, but Iowans aren't likely to see that kind of candidate in my lifetime.

On the other side of the spectrum, social conservative groups like Iowa Right to Life and the FAMiLY Leader (formerly the Iowa Family Policy Center) endorse a wide range of Republican incumbents, challengers, and candidates for open seats. Bleeding Heartland covered the FAMiLY Leader's spending in 2012 legislative races here.

There are no longer any pro-choice Republicans in the Iowa House or Senate. In the old days, a handful used to receive support from Planned Parenthood's PAC. Now Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa endorses only certain Democratic candidates.

The Iowans for Tax Relief PAC endorsed 13 state legislative candidates this year, all Republicans: incumbents Jerry Behn, Chip Baltimore, and Guy Vander Linden; challengers Matt Reisetter, Jim Kenyon, Jane Jech, Mark Nelson, and Mike Klimesh; and open-seat candidates John Landon, Dan Zumbach, Greg Heartsill, Andrew Naeve, and Amy Sinclair. Usually this group endorses more Republicans, but during the past year a bunch of GOP legislators and candidates have expressed support for raising the gasoline tax.

I would put the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation's PAC in this category too, because they are heavily skewed toward the Republican side, despite endorsing a few token Democrats like the Iowa Industry PAC does. The Farm Bureau survey for legislative candidates includes a few questions that have little apparent relevance for farmers but come straight out of GOP talking points:

3. Do you believe that one-time money, such as the state's ending fund balance, should be spent on one-time expenditures or on-going expenses? [...]
11. Do you support expanding the scope of negotiation under Iowa 's collective bargaining law? [...]
14. Do you support voters registering and voting on the same day?

This year the Farm Bureau refused to release their full list of Iowa legislative endorsements, but Republican press releases posted here show that mostly GOP candidates got the "Friend of Agriculture" nod, including incumbents Jerry Behn and Pat Ward, challenger Jane Jech, and open-seat candidates Amy Sinclair, Andrew Naeve, Michael Breitbach, Larry Kruse, and Mark Segebart. I am not aware of any sitting Democrats endorsed as "Friends of Agriculture" other than Senator Brian Schoenjahn.

Notably, three Republicans were endorsed by both the Farm Bureau Federation and Iowans for Tax relief: Behn, Jech, and Naeve. All three of their races are important for the GOP's quest for a Senate majority. Supporting the gas tax hike is a good thing from the Farm Bureau's perspective but anathema to Iowans for Tax Relief, which explains some of the Republican names missing from each group's endorsement list.

Vander Plaats group on radio in two races, conspicuously absent in one

desmoinesdem — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 21:15:00 GMT

Three-time candidate for Iowa governor Bob Vander Plaats has made news this fall primarily on the "No Wiggins" campaign trail. However, the social conservative group he runs is supporting some Republican Iowa Senate candidates as well.

Last week the FAMiLY Leader launched radio advertising campaigns in two competitive Senate races--but notably, not in the district where Vander Plaats' longtime right-hand man Matt Reisetter is running.
The FAMiLY Leader's political action committee has raised and spent little money this year, according to reports on the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board website. The PAC has made only a few relatively small donations to Senate candidates Jane Jech and Jeff Mullen.

Instead, the FAMiLY Leader has flexed its muscles through independent expenditures in many Senate races. You can view the reports here. Vander Plaats' group has paid for postcard campaigns supporting the following GOP candidates:

- incumbent Senators Merlin Bartz (Senate district 26), Jerry Behn (Senate district 24), Shawn Hamerlinck (Senate district 46), and Tim Kapucian (Senate district 38);

- open-seat candidates Mark Segebart (Senate district 6), Amy Sinclair (Senate district 14), Mike Breitbach (Senate district 28), Ken Rozenboom (Senate district 40), Dan Zumbach (Senate district 48), and Andrew Naeve (Senate district 49);

- challengers Jane Jech (Senate district 36), Al Ringgenberg (Senate district 8) and Matt Reisetter (Senate district 30).

You'd expect the FAMiLY Leader to take a special interest in Reisetter's race. Not only is Democratic Senator Jeff Danielson a top Republican target in a district where the GOP has a slight voter registration edge, Reisetter worked closely with Vander Plaats for years as an employee of the Iowa Family Policy Center (the 501(c)3 organization that is now under the FAMiLY Leader's umbrella). Reisetter described his work as "mostly in the political realm with pro-traditional family candidates and campaigns." In 2007, he worked on Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign in Iowa, for which Vander Plaats was the state chair. Reisetter was also active in Vander Plaats' run for governor in 2010, and later in the campaign to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices.

When the Iowa Family Policy Center became part of the new FAMiLY Leader organization, a 501(c)4 organization created shortly after the 2010 general election, Reisetter was named FAMiLY Leader development director. He then joined Vander Plaats on a 99-county tour to build on momentum from the 2010 victories.

Side note: Andy Kopsa raised important questions here about whether the Iowa Family Policy Center violated the Hatch Act while employing Reisetter. A federal grant supported Reisetter's salary as head of the center's marriage-promotion efforts in northeast Iowa while Reisetter worked on Huckabee's presidential election campaign.

Getting back to the point of this post: no Republican candidate for the Iowa Senate is more closely connected to the FAMiLY Leader than Reisetter. Yet other than spending $2,834.37 on postcards to identified conservatives, Vander Plaats' group has steered clear of Senate district 30. They are obviously aware that the group's issues are not tickets to victory in a district where many voters are connected to the University of Northern Iowa.

Reisetter knows it too, because he has not talked about marriage or abortion in his television advertising.

Disclosure reports show the FAMiLY Leader spent $8,671.58 on Mason City-area radio to support Bartz against Democratic incumbent Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm, and spent $9,896.58 on Council Bluffs radio to support Ringgenberg against Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal.

The FAMiLY Leader did not respond to my request for a script of these radio ads, but a listener in the Council Bluffs area indicated that the commercials refer to Senate Democrats blocking property tax relief, a constitutional amendment on marriage, and a late-term abortion ban. That is consistent with language from the FAMiLY Leader's October 30 press releases announcing the advertising campaign (excerpts):

The FAMiLY LEADER President & CEO Bob Vander Plaats urged supporters and voters in Senate District 26 to cast their ballots for State Senator Merlin Bartz, who is in a tight race with Democrat State Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm.
With much of this election focused on Senate Republicans claiming the majority, Vander Plaats said this race is significant to how Iowa moves forward on important issues regarding the family.
To help inform Iowans in Senate District 26, The FAMiLY LEADER produced a radio ad for Senator Bartz that will air this week on KLGO in Mason City.
"Mary Jo Wilhelm has spent time representing the left-wing extremists rather than the people of her district," Vander Plaats said. "Last session, Mary Jo and Senate Democrats blocked property tax reform, the right to vote on marriage, and a late-term abortion ban. Mary Jo even spent tax-dollars to fund abortionists, like Planned Parenthood."
The FAMiLY LEADER Political Director Greg Baker said Bartz will defend one-man, one-woman marriage, the sanctity of human life, and religious freedom.

The FAMiLY LEADER President & CEO Bob Vander Plaats urged supporters and voters in Senate District 8 to cast their ballots for Colonel Al Ringgenberg who is in a tight race with Democrat State Senator Mike Gronstal.
With much of this election focused on Senate Republicans claiming the majority, Vander Plaats said this race is significant to how Iowa moves forward on important issues regarding the family.
To help inform Iowans in Senate District 8, The FAMiLY LEADER produced a radio ad for Ringgenberg that will air this week on KFAB in Omaha, NE.
"Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal has spent time representing the left-wing extremists rather than the people of his district," Vander Plaats said. "Last session, Gronstal and Senate Democrats blocked property tax reform, the right to vote on marriage, and a late-term abortion ban. Gronstal even spent tax-dollars to fund abortionists, like Planned Parenthood."
The FAMiLY LEADER Political Director Greg Baker said Ringgenberg will defend one-man, one-woman marriage, the sanctity of human life, and religious freedom.

Any relevant comments are welcome in this thread.

UPDATE: I should have mentioned that the FAMiLY Leader crowd owes a special debt to Bartz for helping the Iowa Family Policy Center build a list for future direct-mail and fundraising campaigns shortly after the Iowa Supreme Court announced the Varnum v Brien decision in April 2009. Bartz used his official page on the Iowa Senate Republicans website to promote a petition being circulated by the Iowa Family Policy Center, urging county recorders not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Weekend open thread: Iowa state legislative race edition

desmoinesdem — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 12:00:00 GMT

What's on your mind this weekend, Bleeding Heartland readers? A bunch of posts on Iowa House and Senate races are in the works for the next couple of weeks. Several Democratic candidates for the Iowa House have been targeted by push-polls similar to the one I received attacking Susan Judkins in House district 43. Direct mail pieces are resurrecting some of the dishonest Republican talking points of the 2010 campaign, including non-existent "heated sidewalks" allegedly funded with state money, fancy flowerpots and "bus service for lobbyists."

Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee strategists included three Iowa Senate races in the new list of 50 essential state legislative races around the country. Those are Senate district 26, where Democratic incumbent Mary Jo Wilhelm faces Republican incumbent Merlin "build my fence" Bartz, Senate district 46, pitting Republican incumbent Shawn "Go Home" Hamerlinck against challenger Chris Brase, and Senate district 49, an open seat pitting almost-elected 2010 GOP candidate Andrew Naeve against longtime teacher and planning and zoning commissioner Rita Hart on the Democratic side.

Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, who is working hard to preserve his 26-24 edge in the chamber, has chaired the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee since 2007. Republicans failed to recruit a strong candidate against Gronstal in the new Senate district 8, covering Council Bluffs and Carter Lake.

This is an open thread. If you've noticed any interesting direct mail, phone calls, radio or television commercials supporting or attacking Iowa House and Senate candidates, please post a comment here, put up your own diary, or send a message to desmoinesdem AT yahoo.com. Most of the candidates are not uploading their campaign advertising to YouTube. Remember not to hang up the phone when you get calls targeting your local state legislative candidates. Instead, take detailed notes if you can, and don't be afraid to ask the caller to repeat the questions.

UPDATE: Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak and Democratic Representative Dave Loebsack will be at today's Reichert Oktoberfest in Muscatine supporting state Senate Candidates Brase and Tom Courtney and state House Candidates John Dabeet and Sara Sedlacek.

First look at the Obama and Romney ground games in Iowa

desmoinesdem — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:45:00 GMT

At this time four years ago, Barack Obama's campaign had about 30 field offices up and running in Iowa, compared to six offices for Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Obama's campaign has had eight Iowa field offices open this summer and is rolling out another 26 offices around Iowa this weekend. So far, Mitt Romney's campaign has ten Iowa field offices, in addition to the unified Republican headquarters in Urbandale.

After the jump, I compare the field office locations for each presidential campaign, grouped by Iowa Congressional district. Where relevant, I've also noted competitive Iowa House and Senate districts near the Obama and Romney field offices, although I doubt either presidential campaign will do much for down-ticket Democratic or Republican candidates.
IA-01

The first Congressional district race is a rematch between Democratic incumbent Bruce Braley and Republican challenger Ben Lange, who lost narrowly in 2010. Braley has lived in Waterloo (Black Hawk County) for most of his adult life, while Lange is based in Independence (Buchanan County).

Both the Obama and Romney campaigns have field offices in Dubuque (Dubuque County) and Cedar Rapids (Linn County). Democratic incumbents are unlikely to have trouble in the Dubuque-area Iowa House and Senate races. In Linn County, Senate district 34 should be an easy hold for Democrat Liz Mathis, and there are several potentially competitive Iowa House races, including House district 66 and House district 68. The district 66 race is a rematch between Republican Renee Schulte and the Democrat she defeated in 2008, Art Staed. In district 68 Republican Nick Wagner faces Daniel Lundby. Two of the new Obama field offices are in the Cedar Rapids area: one on the west side of Cedar Rapids (near House district 66), and one in the suburb of Marion (which is part of House district 68).

For some time, the Obama campaign has had a field office in Waterloo. Several competitive statehouse races are in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls metro area: Senate district 30, where Democratic incumbent Jeff Danielson faces Matt Reisetter, a close ally of Bob Vander Plaats; House district 59, where Democrat Bob Kressig faces James Kenyon; and House district 60, where Republican Walt Rogers faces Bob Greenwood.

A new Obama field office is opening in Grinnell (Poweshiek County). During the last decade, this relatively liberal college town helped elect former Democratic State Representative Eric Palmer and retiring Democratic State Senator Tom Rielly. Now Poweshiek County is part of Iowa Senate district 38, where Republican incumbent Tim Kapucian faces Shelley Parbs, and the open House district 76, where Democrat Rachel Bly faces Republican David Maxwell. Representative Braley grew up in the small town of Brooklyn and may have a strong GOTV push for his Congressional campaign in this county.

A new Obama field office is opening in Independence (Buchanan County), where Republican Congressional challenger Lange lives and practices law. Lange's campaign is headquartered in Cedar Rapids, however.

A new Obama field office is opening in Cresco (Howard County), in the northeast part of the state. This county is part of Iowa Senate district 26, expected to be one of the marquee statehouse races. The clash of two incumbents features Democrat Mary Jo Wilhelm and Republican Merlin "Build My Fence" Bartz.

A new Obama field office is opening in Maquoketa (Jackson County). Former Democratic State Representative Tom Schueller is favored to win his Iowa House seat back from GOP incumbent Brian Moore in House district 58, which includes all of Jackson County.

UPDATE: There is also a Marshall County Democratic Party office in Marshalltown, which is handling GOTV for candidates up and down the ticket. Marshall County is part of Iowa Senate district 36, where Democratic incumbent Steve Sodders faces Jane Jech.

IA-02

The second Congressional district race pits Democratic incumbent Dave Loebsack against Republican John Archer. Loebsack relocated to Iowa City (Johnson County) last year after redistricting put his Linn County home in IA-01. Archer lives in the Quad Cities area (Scott County). Loebsack has not represented that county before.

Both the Obama and Romney campaigns have field offices in Iowa City, Davenport (Scott County), and Burlington (Des Moines County). The state House and Senate seats in the Burlington and Iowa City areas should be safe for Democrats, but part of Johnson County is in the open House district 73, where there is no clear favorite between Republican Bobby Kaufmann (son of retiring GOP House Speaker Pro-Tem Jeff Kaufmann) and Democrat Dick Schwab.

Several competitive statehouse races are the Quad Cities area, including Senate district 46, where Republican incumbent Shawn Hamerlinck faces Chris Brase, House district 93, where Democratic incumbent Phyllis Thede faces Mark Nelson, and House district 92, where Republican incumbent Ross Paustian faces former State Senator Frank Wood.

Six of the new Obama field offices opening this weekend are in IA-02, including one in Coralville, a rapidly-growing suburb of Iowa City (Johnson County). Democratic Iowa House incumbent Dave Jacoby is unopposed here.

An Obama field office is opening in Washington (Washington County). There aren't competitive statehouse races here. Republican Sandy Greiner represents this area in the Iowa Senate but is not up for re-election this year. Republican House incumbent Jarad Klein is unopposed in the new district 78.

An Obama field office is opening in Newton (Jasper County). For the last decade, this county was part of IA-03. The Iowa Senate seat that includes most of Jasper County is not on the ballot in 2012. The Newton area is part of House district 15, where Democratic incumbent Dan Kelley has a rematch against his 2010 opponent Gabe Swersie.

An Obama field office is opening in Fort Madison (Lee County). Senate district 42 is open but should be a Democratic hold for Rich Taylor; this part of the state has a Democratic voter registration advantage and a strong organized labor presence.

An Obama field office is opening in Fairfield (Jefferson County). The Iowa Senate seat that covers this area is not on the ballot in 2012. Fairfield is part of House district 82, where Democratic incumbent Curt Hanson faces James Johnson, who nearly defeated a different Democratic State Representative in 2010.

An Obama field office is opening in Oskaloosa (Mahaska County). Republicans are favored to win the local House and Senate races.

It's worth nothing that the Obama campaign does not have an office in Ottumwa (Wapello County). For decades, unionized workers and their relatives produced a lot of votes for Iowa Democrats in the Ottumwa area. Democratic turnout was poor here in 2010, which partly explains why State Senator Keith Kreiman lost by a dozen votes in what had been considered a safe seat. Both Fairfield and Oskaloosa are about a 30-minute drive from Ottumwa. UPDATE: The Iowa Democratic Party's website lists a coordinated GOTV headquarters in Ottumwa.

There is also a Clinton County Democratic Party office in Clinton, which is running GOTV for candidates up and down the ticket. Clinton county is part of the open Senate district 49, where Republican Andrew Naeve faces Democrat Rita Hart.

The Muscatine County Democratic Party has a similar campaign headquarters open in Muscatine. Part of that county is in Senate district 46 and House district 91, where Republican incumbent Mark Lofgren faces John Dabeet. The rest of the county is in House district 88, where Republican Ways and Means Committee Chair Tom Sands faces Sara Sedlacek.

IA-03

In the third Congressional district, Representative Leonard Boswell needs strong Democratic turnout, especially in Polk County, to have a chance against Republican incumbent Tom Latham. Boswell moved his official residence to Des Moines a decade ago because of redistricting. Latham moved from Ames in IA-04 to the Polk County suburbs last year because of redistricting.

Obama's statewide headquarters are on the east side of Des Moines, and four of the 26 new offices opening this weekend are in the Des Moines metro area: in the capital city on Merle Hay Road, in the northern suburb of Ankeny, in the eastern suburb of Altoona, and in the western suburb of Waukee.

The unified Republican victory office is in Urbandale, a suburb of on the west side of Des Moines, and Romney has another office in Waukee.

Polk County doesn't typically have a lot of competitive statehouse races, but redistricting has created more than usual this year. Altoona is part of the open House district 30, where Democrat Joe Riding faces Republican Jim Carley. Waukee is part of Iowa Senate district 22, where incumbent Republican Pat Ward faces Desmund Adams. The eastern half of Senate district 22 is House district 43, where Republican incumbent Chris Hagenow faces Susan Judkins Josten. Urbandale is part of House district 40, an open-seat race pitting Democrat John Forbes against Republican Mike Brown. Part of Ankeny is in House district 38, where incumbent Republican Kevin Koester faces John Phoenix. Johnston and Grimes are in the open House district 39, featuring two 20-something candidates: Democrat Kelsey Clark and Republican Jake Highfill.

Both Romney and Obama have field offices in Council Bluffs (Pottawattamie County). Although Republicans failed to field a strong challenger against Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, a lot of outside money will flow into Senate district 8 because Gronstal has done so much to block the GOP policy agenda. Democrats are looking for a potential pickup in House district 15, where Republican incumbent Mark Brandenburg faces George Yaple. Both the Latham and Boswell campaigns are likely to have a strong GOTV push in Council Bluffs, the largest city in IA-03 outside Polk County.

Four more new Obama field offices are in this Congressional district: Creston (Union County), Perry (Dallas County), Winterset (Madison County), and Indianola (Warren County). Republican statehouse incumbents are favored in most of those areas. There will be a competitive race in the open House district 26 between Democrat Scott Ourth and Republican Steve McCoy. The district covers Indianola and most of Warren County. John Deeth notes that Ourth had a 100 to 1 cash-on-hand advantage according to the latest campaign finance reports. But social conservative activists in Warren County turned out a heck of a lot of votes for Bob Vander Plaats in the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary and delivered victory in the local Iowa House and Senate districts the same year.

IA-04

The fourth Congressional district spans 39 counties, many of which are new to Republican incumbent Steve King of Kiron (Sac County). Democratic challenger Christie Vilsack grew up in southeast Iowa and lived in the Des Moines area for more than a decade but relocated to Ames (Story County) because of this campaign.

Both the Obama and Romney campaigns have field offices in Sioux City (Woodbury County). Two competitive Iowa House races are in this county. House district 13 is a battle of two first-term House incumbents: Democrat Chris Hall and Republican Jeremy Taylor. In the open House district 14, 2010 Democratic candidate David Dawson faces Republican Greg Grupp.

Romney has a field office in Mason City (Cerro Gordo County). I am surprised that the Obama campaign doesn't have a presence here, but Mason City is not on the list of office openings this weekend. UPDATE: Vilsack's campaign has staff in Mason City, and the Cerro Gordo Democrats have a coordinated campaign office there.

Romney has a field office in Ames. I don't know why the site of Iowa State University isn't on the Obama campaign's list, because college towns were strong vote-producing areas for the president in 2008. UPDATE: Vilsack's campaign is headquartered in Ames, and the Story County Democrats office there is running GOTV for all candidates.

Five of the new Obama field offices are in IA-04: Algona (Kossuth County), Spencer (Clay County), Denison (Crawford County), Iowa Falls (Hardin County), and Boone (Boone County). Competitive statehouse races are thin on the ground in IA-04, but House district 47, containing most of Boone County, will be a hard-fought rematch between Republican State Representative Chip Baltimore and the Democrat he beat by a couple dozen votes in 2010, Donovan Olson.

UPDATE: The Webster County Democrats have a field office in Fort Dodge that is running GOTV in the area.

Iowa primary election results thread

desmoinesdem — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 02:18:02 GMT

Polls closed across Iowa at 9 pm, and I will update this post periodically as results come in from around the states. Any comments related to today's elections are welcome in this thread.

P.S.- As expected, Wisconsin Democrats fell short in their effort to recall Republican Governor Scott Walker.

UPDATE: Results are after the jump.
Full vote totals and percentages are on the Iowa Secretary of State's website.

IA-01: Early returns show Rod Blum keeping it closer than expected with Republican establishment favorite Ben Lange. UPDATE: Wow, with nearly all the votes counted, Lange is leading Blum by only 52 percent to 47 percent. LATER UPDATE: I don't think anyone expected this primary to be so close. With all but two precincts in, it's Lange 52.8 percent, Blum 46.6 percent. FINAL: Lange 52.8 percent, Blum 46.6 percent. Imagine what might have happened if Blum had had a little more money to spend building his name recognition around the district.

IA-02: Early returns show John Archer ahead of Dan Dolan on the Republican side and Dave Loebsack way ahead of Joe Seng. UPDATE: With 255 of 425 precincts in, Loebsack has 86 percent of the vote, and Archer has a big lead on Dolan, 58 percent to 41 percent. LATER UPDATE: Loebsack's share of the vote has dropped below 80 percent. Archer has a commanding lead in the GOP primary. FINAL: Loebsack 81.5 percent, Seng 18.3 percent. The incumbent was smart not to waste a lot of money on the primary campaign. On the Republican side, Archer finished with 60.5 percent of the vote, to 39.3 percent for Dolan. Was his message more appealing, or did he mainly benefit from having started building his name recognition on tv and radio sooner?

State Senate: Crawford County Supervisor Mark Segebart looks to be on track to win the GOP nomination in open Senate district 6. Governor Branstad had endorsed Carroll Mayor Adam Schweers. UPDATE: With all but one precinct in, Segebart has 46.6 percent to 40.3 percent for Schweers.

Dennis Guth defeated GOP establishment favorite James Black in the open Senate district 4. The Democratic nominee will be Bob Jennings.

In the open Senate district 10, where Democrats have no candidate, Jake Chapman easily wins the GOP primary with 65 percent of the vote to 34 percent for Matthew Mardesen.

Amy Sinclair will be the Republican nominee in the open Senate district 14, where Paul McKinley is retiring. Dick Schrad will be the Democratic candidate.

Jane Jech has a slight lead on Larry McKibben in the Senate district 36 GOP primary. Winner faces first-term Democrat Steve Sodders. UPDATE: Jech crushed McKibben. With all but two precincts in, she's ahead 59 percent to 41 percent. That improves Democratic prospects for holding their Iowa Senate majority. Hard to see Sodders losing to Jech.

~~No results yet in Senate district 22.~~ Incumbent Pat Ward defeats right-wing challenger Jeff Mullen easily in the Polk County precincts of Senate district 22. He's competitive in the Dallas County part of the district, but Bleeding Heartland user albert notes in the comments that Ward is taking the lead even there. UPDATE: With most of the votes counted, Ward leads 58 percent to 42 percent. I hope Mullen's supporters sulk and stay home in November.

With about half the precincts in, Shelley Parbs leads the three-way Democratic primary race in Senate district 38, where the winner faces first-term Republican Tim Kapucian. UPDATE: Parbs has 57 percent of the vote with only one precinct left to report.

Very early returns show Larry Kruse leading the GOP primary and Rich Taylor leading the Democratic primary in the open Senate district 42. UPDATE: It will be Taylor vs Kruse in this Democratic-leaning district.

In the clash of two GOP Senate incumbents, Jim Hahn leads Shawn Hamerlinck with about 20 percent of the precincts counted in Senate district 46. UPDATE: Hahn holding his lead with about half the precincts reported. The Democratic nominee for this district is Chris Brase. LATER UPDATE: Scott County reported and carried the day for Hamerlinck. He wins this primary with nearly 61 percent of the vote to 38 percent for Hahn.

Dan Zumbach will easily with the GOP primary in the open Senate district 48. The Democratic nominee will be Nate Willems.

Rita Hart defeated Dorothy O'Brien by nearly 54 percent to 46 percent in the Democratic primary for open Senate district 49. The GOP nominee is Andrew Naeve, who nearly won this Democratic-leaning area in 2010.

Former IA-01 Congressional candidate Will Johnson, a big Ron Paul supporter, won the GOP primary in Senate district 50 (Dubuque). He won't stand a chance against first-term Democrat Pam Jochum.

On the Iowa House side:

Iowa House Republican Whip Erik Helland lost his primary to Jake Highfill in House district 39. That's a big upset. Former State Representative Walt Tomenga, who represented part of this area before retiring in 2008, had publicly endorsed Highfill and slammed Helland.

LATER UPDATE: Helland was the only Iowa House GOP incumbent to lose to a primary challenger, not counting Sweeney (who lost to a fellow incumbent).

Pat Grassley is on track to defeat Annette Sweeney in Iowa House district 50. UPDATE: Not even close, Grassley 61 percent, Sweeney 39 percent. Will Bruce Rastetter still give huge sums of money to the House Republican Majority Fund?

Incumbent Jeff Smith will survive his primary challenge in House district 1. Ditto for Ron Jorgensen in House district 6, Greg Forristall in House district 22, Joel Fry in House district 27, and Jarad Klein in House district 78.

Henry Rayhons is barely ahead of his primary challenger, Bob Dishman, in House district 8. UPDATE: Rayhons holds on to win that primary. First-term incumbent Tom Shaw trails Maison Bleam in the early returns from House district 10. UPDATE: With almost all of the votes in, Shaw leads 64 percent to 36 percent.

Incumbent Cecil Dolecheck has a narrow lead with about a third of the precincts counted in House district 24. UPDATE: It turned out to be a blowout for Dolecheck, who received nearly 59 percent of the vote against Jane Jensen.

Julian Garrett looks on track to defeat his primary challenger in House district 25. UPDATE: Garrett wins with 59 percent of the vote.

In House district 26, the more conservative Republican Steve McCoy defeated Carlisle Mayor Ruth Randleman by nearly 56 percent to 44 percent in the GOP primary. Scott Ourth is the Democratic nominee in this open seat, where Glen Massie is retiring.

Republican House incumbent Kevin Koester also survived his primary challenge in House district 38.

None of the six Republican candidates won 35 percent of the vote in the open House district 37. Jim Robidoux fell just short with 34.4 percent. Matt DeVries was in second place with 29.7 percent. A district convention will decide the nomination.

Marti Anderson narrowly defeats Cara Kennedy-Ode in the three-way Democratic primary for House district 36. Janet Peterson vacated that district to run for the Iowa Senate. Jeff Ibbotson wins the three-way Republican primary in that district but probably has no chance against Anderson in the general.

Jim Carley wins the GOP nomination in the new House district 30, where Kim Pearson retired. Carley faces Democratic nominee Joe Riding in the general.

Michael Klimesh wins the three-way GOP primary in House district 55. He'll face Democratic incumbent Roger Thomas.

In the open Iowa House district 72, where Republican Lance Horbach is retiring, Nathan Wrage won the Democratic primary against Cristina Blackcloud-Garcia by 53.6 percent to 46.1 percent. I believe Blackcloud-Garcia is the first Native-American woman to run for the Iowa legislature. Wrage will face Republican Dean Fisher in the general.

David Johnson and Dick Schwab are neck and neck in the Democratic primary in House district 73. The winner faces Bobby Kaufmann, son of retiring GOP House Speaker Pro-Tem Jeff Kaufmann. LATE UPDATE: Final results: Schwab nearly 57 percent, Johnson 43 percent. We will see whether Johnson was right when he warned that a candidate from Johnson County (Schwab) would struggle in a district where more constituents live in Cedar County.

In the open House district 76, David Maxwell won the GOP primary by a 2-1 margin over Larry Wilson. He'll face Grinnell City Council member Rachel Bly in the general.

Megan Hess won the GOP primary in the open House district 2, defeating Josh Davenport by nearly 54 percent to 46 percent. She'll be heavily favored to beat Democrat Steve Bomgaars this November. This was a test of strength for various conservative interest groups in a heavily Republican part of northwest Iowa.

Both candidates reside in Spencer. Davenport is a pastor. Hess is a recent law school graduate who has worked in the Iowa and Minnesota legislatures and assisted Congressman Steve King and Senator Chuck Grassley. Iowa Gun Owners and Iowa Liberty PAC support Davenport. He also has the backing of House members Kim Pearson and Tom Shaw. The NRA endorsed Hess. Iowa Right to Life supports both candidates.

In more open-seat results, Greg Heartsill won big (3-1 margin) in the GOP primary to represent House district 28. He'll face Democrat Megan Day Suhr this November.

Linn County Auditor Joel Miller easily defeated two Democratic primary challengers, winning 58 percent of the vote.

But Johnson County Auditor Tom Slockett trails his Democratic primary challenger Travis Weipert. UPDATE: Slockett conceded. It's rare for a 35-year incumbent to lose a primary.

Weekend open thread: Candidate filing deadline edition

desmoinesdem — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 01:26:59 GMT

I'm posting the weekend thread early, because the filing period for primary election candidates in Iowa closed this afternoon. The Secretary of State's Office posted the full list of candidates here (pdf). John Deeth has been covering the filing on a daily basis all month at his blog. Some highlights from races I'm watching are after the jump.

This is an open thread; all topics welcome.

UPDATE: Gotta agree with Senator Chuck Grassley: the History Channel is useless.
Congressional races

I was dead wrong yesterday. Democratic State Senator Joe Seng managed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in Iowa's second Congressional district. That means three-term incumbent Dave Loebsack will have to deal with a competitive primary. So the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's robo-poll in IA-02 wasn't a waste of money. UPDATE: Kevin Hall of The Iowa Republican blog says Seng's nominating petitions wound up "at a few GOP county conventions" on March 10. Hall also comments, "I doubt Joe Seng can win, but he can beat up liberal Loebsack in the primary and force him to spend important time and treasure. Or Seng could pull off the upset. Either way, Iowans win."

In 2008, many Democrats in the Iowa legislature savaged former State Representative Ed Fallon for running against Leonard Boswell in the IA-03 primary. Look for Seng to get a pass, because Democrats need him to get 26 votes for any bill in the Iowa Senate.

There weren't any other surprises in the Congressional candidate filings, but I didn't expect Steve King to challenge Christie Vilsack to six debates in the fourth district. The last few cycles, King has refused all invitations to debate his challengers.

In IA-01, Bruce Braley has two Republican challengers: I see on Facebook that Rod Blum is still taking shots at Ben Lange for not having an issues page on his website. Lange hasn't directly criticized Blum, preferring to highlight his campaign organization instead.

In IA-02, only two of the three Republicans who declared a few months ago filed for the ballot: Dan Dolan and John Archer. Both have been campaigning frequently around the district. Archer was the first to go up on radio district-wide. He's also taken a leave of absence from his job to run for Congress full-time.

Iowa Senate races

Democrats have candidates in 21 of the 26 Senate districts that will be on the ballot this November. Republicans have candidates in all 26 races, no matter how hopeless some of those districts look. I give them credit for not leaving any Senate Democrat unchallenged.

I am surprised that Council Bluffs Republicans didn't recruit a stronger candidate to jump in against Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal at the last minute. Surely they could have done better than Al Ringgenberg in the new Senate district 8. I had heard that Governor Terry Branstad was helping make calls to recruit someone else for this race, but if that's true, whoever was courted didn't take the bait. Fortunately for the GOP, they have a lot of other paths to 26 Senate seats.

There will be quite a few contested primaries on the Senate side. In the open district 4, Republicans James Black and Dennis Guth will compete to face Democrat Bob Jennings.

In the open district 6, Republicans Matthew Biede, Adam Schweers, and Mark Segebart will compete to face Democrat Mary Bruner.

In the open district 10, there is no Democratic candidate, so the winner of the GOP primary between Jake Chapman and Matthew Mardesen has a lock on the seat.

The open district 14, now held by retiring former Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, will be quite a free-for-all. Three Republicans (Steve Everly, Stephanie Jones, and Amy Sinclair) and two Democrats (Dick Schrad and Jason Demichelis) are running.

I'm looking forward to watching the primary race between State Senator Pat Ward and Jeff Mullen in my home district, Senate 22. The winner will face Desmund Adams, who has been working hard despite the long odds for a Democrat in this suburban seat.

Democrats did find a candidate against Senate Minority Leader Jerry Behn in the new district 24. Shelly Stotts filed yesterday.

Lots of districts are up for grabs in northwest Iowa. Senate district 26 will feature the clash of two incumbents, Republican Merlin Bartz and Democrat Mary Jo Wilhelm.

As expected, Democrat John Beard and Republican Mike Breitbach will contest the open Senate district 28.

Republican Matt Reisetter is challenging Democrat Jeff Danielson in the new Senate district 30. Danielson squeaked by in 2008 by fewer than two dozen votes.

For ages I didn't hear anything about a Republican challenger to Democrat Brian Schoenjahn in district 32, but Elliott Henderson filed for that seat today.

Randi Shannon is the only Republican challenger to Liz Mathis in district 34. Mathis won last November's special election in the old Senate district 18.

As expected, two Republicans, Larry McKibben and Jane Jech, will compete to face Steve Sodders in the new district 36.

Three Democrats are running in the new district 38: LaForest Sherman, Shelley Parbs, and Nick Volk. Republican Tim Kapucian now holds that seat.

In the open district 42, two Republicans are running, Lee Harder and Larry Kruse. The general-election favorite will be the winner of the Democratic primary between Donna Amandus, Bob Morawitz, and Rich Taylor.

Republican Senators Shawn Hamerlinck and Jim Hahn will face off in the district 46 primary; the winner will run against Democrat Chris Brase.

Two Republicans filed in the open district 48: Brian Cook and Dan Zumbach. Cindy Golding, who lost to Liz Mathis in last November's special Senate election, had considered running here but didn't file. State Representative Nate Willems will be the Democratic nominee.

As expected, Democrats Rita Hart and Dorothy O'Brien are running in the new district 49, where Republicans have a strong candidate in Andrew Naeve.

Iowa House races

There will be competitive Republican primaries in 25 House districts. In 11 of those districts someone is challenging a sitting House Republican. Some of those seats are locks for the GOP in the general, others are long-shots. On balance I think it's healthy for a party to have a lot of competitive primaries, but I can't remember seeing so many challenges to incumbents. The bad news for House Speaker Kraig Paulsen is that lots of incumbents in safe Republican seats will spend campaign cash defending themselves in the primary. That means less money for leadership to direct to incumbents or challengers in swing districts.

The most interesting match-up by far will be the battle of House incumbents Annette Sweeney and Pat Grassley in the new district 50. That's widely considered a proxy war between Bruce Rastetter, a childhood friend of Sweeney's, and Senator Chuck Grassley, Pat's grandfather.

Democrats have only five competitive House primaries lined up; that number could shrink if any of the candidates drop out in the near future.

Republican House incumbents who did not file for re-election: House Speaker Pro Tem Jeff Kaufmann, Kim Pearson, Glen Massie, and Dan Rasmussen. I wondered whether Rasmussen might bow out when I saw he had raised almost nothing in 2011 beyond the PAC donations that come automatically to every GOP state representative. Jim Givant will run in district 64, where Rasmussen lives. Kaufmann's son Bobby is the GOP candidate in the new district 73. There will be competitive primaries to replace Pearson in district 30 and Massie in district 26.

I didn't notice any surprise retirements on the Democratic side.

In the new House district 47, former Democratic State Representative Donovan Olson is seeking a rematch with Republican Chip Baltimore, who beat him by a couple dozen votes in 2010. The other rematch will be in the new district 58, where Democrat Tom Schueller is running against surprise 2010 Republican winner Brian Moore.

I didn't notice any obvious recruiting failures for House Republicans. Democrats didn't manage to line up challengers against some GOP incumbents in what should be swing districts. For now Lee Hein is unchallenged in in the new district 96, and so is Steve Olson in the new district 97.

Earlier today, Democrat Becky Perkovich filed in the new House district 48; I wondered whether Republican Rob Bacon would get a free pass there after Rich Olive bowed out of that race.

UPDATE: One of the GOP incumbents being primaried is House Majority Whip Erik Helland, no stranger to scandal and controversy. His challenger Jake Highfill claims Helland offered him a job to get him out of the race. I'm 90 percent sure the Iowa House Ethics Committee will punt, as usual--possibly on the grounds that they have no jurisdiction here. Highfill can still tell his story during the primary campaign, and his version doesn't make Helland look good.

On Dec. 29, Highfill's complaint alleges, he received a phone call and voice message from Helland asking Highfill to call him back. Highfill returned the call about five minutes later, and the two spoke for 28 minutes, according to phone records he provided the Register.
"Mr. Helland made a series of attempts to persuade me not to challenge him in the Republican Primary," Highfill's complaint alleges. "He talked about the money advantage he has, his seniority in the Iowa House, as well as his performance in the previous 2008 primary he was involved in against Al Lorenzen. Included in his attempts to persuade me not to challenge him were promising me multiple jobs, including, being a clerk in the Iowa House and working for a candidate or the Republican Party in the summer and fall. He repeatedly told me that I don't want to challenge him and that I should abandon my campaign and gain experience by working for him and the Republican Party."
Highfill said he did not respond to Helland's offer immediately but sent Helland a text message several hours later reading, "I thank you for the offer but I am going to respectful (sic) decline. If you want me to call you I could later or tomorrow."
Helland, a two-term incumbent who serves as whip for the House's GOP caucus, immediately replied via text, "I have time now."
In the phone conversation that followed, Highfill told the Register, Helland became "forceful," "angry" and "confrontational."
"Mr. Helland was noticeably unhappy with my decision not to accept his offer of employment in exchange of me not challenging him in the primary," Highfill states.
In the complaint, Highfill interprets the offer as a bribe and an attempt to intimidate: Helland was "effectively attempting to appease me through bribery and threatening overtones of his superior position in Iowa Legislature," he writes.
The complaint does not, however, specify exactly what law or ethics rule Highfill believes Helland violated.
Megan Tooker, executive director of the Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, said she passed the complaint on to the House because its allegations did not violate the sections of Iowa law concerning campaign finance and lobbying, over which the board has jurisdiction.

Dorothy O'Brien becomes second Democrat running in Iowa Senate district 49

desmoinesdem — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:19:24 GMT

There will be a competitive Democratic primary in Iowa Senate district 49. Attorney and small business owner Dorothy O'Brien announced her candidacy today, less than a week after Rita Hart became the first Democrat to declare in this district.
Senate district 49 covers all of Clinton County and part of northern Scott County:

Bleeding Heartland posted background on Hart here. O'Brien's press release today covered her biography and priorities:

Dorothy O'Brien, an attorney and small business owner from Clinton announced today that she will run for election for Iowa Senate District 49. O'Brien is a Democrat.
"The economy isn't improving fast enough for working families in Eastern Iowa," O'Brien said. "We need good jobs and new initiatives to grow Main Street businesses. I'm a small business owner and advocate for Iowa workers. I believe my experience in working together with both sides to get things done is needed at the State Capitol today. And that's why I'm running for the Iowa Senate."
O'Brien added that her primary concerns are working with small business and employees to improve the state's economy; ensuring that families are paid fairly for a hard day's work; and restoring the high standards of excellence to Iowa's public schools.
"Getting the economy moving again means harnessing the creativity and ambition of small business with the hard work, intelligence and dedication of Iowa's workforce," O'Brien said. "And to do this we've got to make sure that our workforce is educated. Students and displaced workers need every educational opportunity available in order to get the 21st-century job training that today's employers need."
O'Brien founded Wide River Winery in 2005 and employs 14 people. She has served as President of the Clinton Symphony, President of the Clinton County Bar Association and on the Executive Board of the Scott County Bar Association. O'Brien was Legal Education Chair of the Iowa State Bar Association--Labor and Employment, and has volunteered as a trainer for high school students against sexual harassment. O'Brien was recognized with a Gold Key Award by the Clinton Community School District for her work as a volunteer mock trial coach. She is a frequent speaker at legal education seminars.
O'Brien has lived in Clinton County for 38 years. She and her husband C.H. Pelton live on a farm north of Clinton. They are the parents of 5 children: Ann Pelton, Elizabeth Quinn, Carol Pelton Balducci , Matthew Cardoni and Brent Pelton. O'Brien is an attorney who represents employees against large corporations. She has won employee benefits, unpaid wages and wrongful firing cases for her clients in a 27-year legal career.
O'Brien noted that while some cases must be fought to the end, the vast majority are resolved through negotiations. Listening, compromise and negotiation are how the legislature should work.
"I think the best way to learn is by listening," O'Brien added. "I want to hear from anyone with a concern or a good idea for moving our community forward. Please contact me at (563) 340-5678 or email to iowasenate49@gmail.com"

I wouldn't be surprised to see more Democrats join this race before the filing deadline for state legislative candidates in March. Four Democrats competed to represent the old Senate district 13 (containing Clinton County) in 2010. Having multiple candidates pounding the pavement before the June primary should help Democrats in the general election, as long as the primary campaign doesn't turn extremely negative.

I asked O'Brien today how she would make the case to primary voters who have more than one Democrat to choose from in Senate district 49. She said her "experience speaks volumes" and cited her work managing small businesses in particular. Looking ahead to a possible general election campaign against a Republican who will also emphasize small businesses and job creation, O'Brien said that Democrats have a "proven better agenda" for running "smart government" and improving the economy. She added that she is a "pragmatic" person and would be willing to negotiate to find common ground with legislators on the other side.

The winner of the Democratic primary in the new Senate district 49 should be favored against likely Republican nominee Andrew Naeve, the GOP candidate who almost won the old Senate district 13 in 2010. As of April 2011, the new district 49 contained 13,524 registered Democrats, 10,139 Republicans and 16,918 no-party voters. Democratic turnout in a presidential election year should be higher than it was in 2010, unless the Iowa Democratic Party's coordinated GOTV campaign is a total failure.

Share any relevant thoughts in this thread.

Democrat Rita Hart announces in Iowa Senate district 49

desmoinesdem — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:39:15 GMT

Iowa Senate Democrats announced today that a former teacher and community volunteer, Rita Hart, will run in the new Senate district 49 in 2012. The district is a must-win if Democrats are to retain their slim Senate majority. A map and background on Hart are after the jump.
Senate district 49 covers all of Clinton County and part of northern Scott County:

This open seat should be a relatively easy hold for Democrats. As of April 2011, the new district 49 contained 13,524 registered Democrats, 10,139 Republicans and 16,918 no-party voters.

Republican Andrew Naeve announced his candidacy in the new Senate district 49 more than six months ago. Naeve demonstrated in 2010 that he can perform well in a Democratic district, nearly beating Tod Bowman in the old Senate district 13. He is a sixth-generation family farmer from the Clinton area and a former high school and college basketball star.

State Senator Bowman currently represents Clinton County but lives over the border in Maquoketa (Jackson County). When he opted to stay in the new Senate district 29 rather than move into district 49, Democrats were left with no obvious candidate against Naeve.

Enter Hart. From her official campaign announcement of December 7:

Rita Hart of Wheatland, a community volunteer, mother of five and an educator of more than 26 years announced today that she is running for the Iowa State Senate in District 49. Senate District 49 covers all of Clinton County and rural, northern Scott County, including the towns of Le Claire, McCausland, Park View and Princeton.
"Getting the necessary skills to get a good job today means getting the right education first," said Hart. "That means providing our children with every educational opportunity possible, and providing displaced workers with the opportunity to go back to school-to our community colleges, to get the skills they need to re-enter the workforce. Too many politicians in Des Moines have lost sight of achieving these critical goals and that's one reason I am running for the Iowa Senate."
Hart added: "We need practical, problem-solving legislators at the state level for the benefit of our local communities. I believe that it will take respectful dialogue and collaboration to overcome the partisan climate that's causing gridlock and delaying key economic recovery initiatives. I pledge to go to the State Capitol and be a positive force working hard for the people of Senate District 49 because our community and our kids simply can't afford any more delays."
Hart, a Democrat, received her degree in English Education from the University of Northern Iowa in 1978. She taught junior and senior high school English from 1978-1999 at Bennett Community Schools and the Calamus-Wheatland School District. Rita earned her Masters in Educational Administration from the University of Iowa in 1989 and from 2000-2004 she worked as both the Gifted & Talented (G/T) and School-to-Work program administrator at Calamus-Wheatland Community Schools. Rita and her husband have also owned and operated a farm in western Clinton County since 1986.
In her community, Rita is a volunteer Befriender at Genesis West Hospital in Davenport where she makes weekly visits to patients in need. Rita also serves on the Clinton County Planning & Zoning Commission and the Clinton County Justice Commission. Rita has served as the past president and vice-president of the Calamus-Wheatland High School Athletic Boosters. And since 2007, she has placed foreign exchange students at Calamus-Wheatland, Central of DeWitt and North Scott High schools as an International Exchange Coordinator.
Rita Hart is 55. She and her husband Paul have five children: Michaela, a credit analyst in Ankeny, IA; Marae, who attends a writing program in Maine; Karen, who is attending Drake Law School in Des Moines; Tressa, a sophomore at the University of Iowa and Alec, a senior at Calamus-Wheatland High School. Rita and Paul are active members of St. Ann's Catholic Church near Long Grove.

I would not be surprised to see more Democrats declare in this district, given the party's voter registration advantage in Clinton County. For now, it appears that Senate Democrats have lined up a candidate with a strong resume. Hart has held a variety of jobs in the education field. Her work on planning and zoning should give her a good understanding of land use issues. Naeve won't be able to claim she doesn't understand agriculture, because her family has run a farm for about 25 years.

Any comments about Senate district 49 are welcome in this thread.

Iowa Workforce Development offices as a 2012 campaign issue

desmoinesdem — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:00:49 GMT

The state agency Iowa Workforce Development has replaced 36 field offices with hundreds of new "enhanced access" computer terminals this year.

Although the shuttered offices are unlikely ever to reopen, they may live on as talking points in many competitive Iowa House and Senate races next fall.
Iowa Workforce Development officials announced the restructuring plans in February as a way to save money while improving access for unemployed Iowans. Some 500 computer terminals in public libraries, Iowa State University extension offices and other locations will eventually be equipped to allow people to seek help from Iowa Workforce Development staff.

The agency will continue to operate 16 "regional integrated one-stop offices" in Burlington, Carroll, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Creston, Davenport, Decorah, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, Mason City, Ottumwa, Sioux City, Spencer and Waterloo. Additionally, Iowa Workforce Development will keep satellite office locations open in Fort Madison, Iowa City and Webster City.

Many state legislators favored keeping all 55 Iowa Workforce Development field offices open. It was one of the highest priorities for Senate Democrats during lengthy negotiations over the state budget. In fact, Teresa Wahlert barely won Senate confirmation as Iowa Workforce Development director because of this controversy. Iowa House Republicans supported funding to keep the field offices open for another year, but Branstad used his line-item veto power to reject that portion of the economic development appropriations bill for fiscal year 2012.

Senate Democrats called for a special legislative session to override Branstad's veto, but House and Senate Republicans rejected that path. During the summer, Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal vowed to try to override the veto during the 2012 legislative session. Republicans are certain to ignore that call.

Several Democratic legislators are co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging Branstad's use of his item veto power with respect to Iowa Workforce Development funding. But as the governor pointed out during a recent press conference, it will be a long time before that case works its way through the court system.

Branstad seems unconcerned about any lingering political controversy over his administration's actions. In his view, the restructuring has been a "significant success":

"Our tracking data indicates that services are equal to or greater than what they were available at this time last year. I see this as a significant success and commend Director (Teresa) Wahlert and Iowa Workforce Development for their good work," Branstad said. [...]
In place of the unemployment offices, the state is installing hundreds of kiosk-like computer stations in places like libraries and homeless shelters where Iowans can access online training, assistance in preparing for interviews and other job application services.
Critics contend that what's essentially a self-help computer program is a far cry from personal, one-on-one assistance previously provided to thousands of unemployed workers.
But advocates say the move will prove to be more beneficial to Iowans, saving $6.5 million a year and also enhancing job searches through computer software. [...]
There are now 373 virtual access points with at least one kiosk-like center in each county. Iowans have access to phone or online interaction with state unemployment officials at the sites, which has led to an extension of the number of hours of service, state officials said today.

Wahlert has touted other aspects of the new system:

"We continue to add new things. This is a very evolving technology. One of the things we added just today...is a fifth option for people and it's called, 'I am a student,'" Wahlert says. "And in this fifth option we have things like 'How to find a job', what the requirements are for GED. We are working on a partnership with ACT to add practice testing."
Those practice tests for the ACT and for GEDs will be available in December.
Workforce Development staff are now available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. 'til 2 p.m. to answer questions from people who go online and seek help with their job search. Wahlert says in the past, Workforce Development offices weren't open past 4:30 p.m. and not every county in the state had an office. Today, there are 370 on-line access points for the Workforce Development computer program.

If 500 computer terminals across the state serve unemployed people well, the Iowa Workforce Development restructuring may be a non-issue next year. Still, I expect to see some Democratic statehouse candidates pointing to vacant storefronts where field offices used to be. The "enhanced access points" could become a symbol of failed Republican governance if they don't function as advertised in numerous locations.

Here's a list of the 36 cities and towns that lost Iowa Workforce Development field offices this year, along with background on the 2012 Iowa House and Senate races in those areas. Scroll to the end of this post for a shorter list of potentially competitive statehouse campaigns in communities that no longer have an Iowa Workforce Development field office.

Algona (Kossuth County)

For the past decade, Algona has been in the old House district 8, where Republican Tom Shaw won an open-seat race in 2010. Iowa's new map of political boundaries put Algona in the new House district 7 (map), represented by first-term Democrat John Wittneben. He won his open-seat race in 2010 by less than three dozen votes. House district 7 has a small Democratic voter registration advantage, but I expect Republicans to mount a strong challenge for this seat. Algona is also part of the new Senate district 4 (map), which has a comfortable Republican voter registration advantage. No Democratic candidate has declared for that race. Former State Senator Jim Black is likely to be the Republican nominee.

Ames (Story County)

Both Iowa House districts in Ames are fairly strong seats for Democrats Beth Wessel-Kroeschell and Lisa Heddens, who decided to move after the redistricting plan put her home outside the north Ames-based district 46 (map). Wessel-Kroeschell lives in the new House district 45 (map). Democratic State Senator Herman Quirmbach is the incumbent in the new Senate district 23 (map), and he won't be on the ballot again until 2014.

Atlantic (Cass County)

Atlantic will be part of the new House district 21 (map) and Senate district 11 (map). Both districts have huge Republican voter registration advantages, and Democrats are unlikely to mount serious challenges to GOP State Representative Jack Drake or State Senator Hubert Houser, assuming both seek re-election.

Boone (Boone County)

Both the House and the Senate race here have potential to be competitive in 2012. First-term Republican Chip Baltimore represents the current House district 48, where he defeated Democratic incumbent Donovan Olson by only a couple dozen votes in 2010. Boone is part of the new House district 47 (map), which has a tiny Democratic registration advantage but a plurality of no-party voters. Olson has not disclosed whether he plans to seek a rematch with Baltimore. No other Democrat has declared for the seat yet. Boone is in the new Senate district 24 (map), represented by Republican Jerry Behn. His new district has only a small voter GOP registration advantage, with a plurality of no-party voters. No Democrat has stepped up to challenge Behn, whose long incumbency and recent election as Iowa Senate Republican leader make him the clear favorite in my opinion.

Centerville (Appanoose County)

Retiring Democrat Kurt Swaim currently represents this area, but the new map of political boundaries puts Appanoose County in House district 80 (map). No incumbent currently lives in the district. Democrat Joe Judge announced his candidacy in May, shortly after the redistricting plan was approved. It's among the most balanced House districts, with roughly equal numbers of registered Democrats, Republicans and no-party voters. To my knowledge, no Republican has entered the race. On the Senate side, Centerville is in the new district 40 (map). Two-term Democratic incumbent Tom Rielly faces a big uphill climb here, and he hasn't represented Appanoose County before.

Charles City (Floyd County)

Charles City is current represented by Republican State Representative Josh Byrnes, who won an open-seat race in 2010. However, in 2012 it will be in the new Iowa House district 52 (map), where six-term Democratic State Representative Brian Quirk is the incumbent. The district leans Democratic in terms of voter registration. When Democrats controlled the Iowa House from 2007 through 2010, Quirk was known as a member of the conservative "six-pack" that opposed organized labor's legislative priorities. Since Republicans won back the Iowa House majority, Quirk has voted with most GOP lawmakers on legislation serving the interests of big ag multiple times. He also voted for a controversial bill to promote nuclear power in Iowa. The more interesting race here is likely to be on the Senate side, because the new Senate district 26 (map) pits two incumbents against each other: Democrat Mary Jo Wilhelm and Republican Merlin Bartz. Both parties are certain to target this race, which Bleeding Heartland previewed here. The district has a Democratic voter registration advantage of about 1,300, and Bartz has drawn some unflattering local press over a fence dispute with neighbors. On the other hand, Bartz has had a much longer career in the Iowa legislature than Wilhelm.

Cherokee (Cherokee County)

Both Iowa House district 3 (map) and Iowa Senate district 2 (map) lean heavily Republican. It will take a lot more than Iowa Workforce Development closing an office to make this part of northwest Iowa politically competitive. State Senator Randy Feenstra should be safe for 2012. Two current Iowa House Republicans, Royd Chambers and Dan Huseman, live in this district; it's not clear whether they will face off in a GOP primary or whether one will retire.

Clarinda (Page County)

Similar story here: the new Iowa House district 24 (map) and Senate district 12 (map) cover parts of southwest Iowa that are safe for Republicans. State Senator Joni Ernst should have no trouble winning re-election. On the House side, the eventual nominee (Cecil Dolecheck or Rich Anderson) should have no problem winning the general election, with or without an Iowa Workforce Development office.

Clinton (Clinton County)

First-term Iowa House Democrat Mary Wolfe represents the Clinton area, which is in the new House district 98 (map). It's a Democratic-leaning district already. Voter registration numbers favor Democrats in Senate district 49 as well (map), but Republicans have a strong announced candidate in Andrew Naeve. No Democrat has declared for that open Senate race. It will be on the ballot despite its odd number, because State Senator Tod Bowman opted to stay in the new Senate district 29 instead.

Denison (Crawford County)

Restructuring of state services for the unemployed is sure to become an issue here, because the Democratic candidate in the new Iowa House district 18 (map) is Kasey Friedrichsen, a former Iowa Workforce Development employee in the Denison office. Her opponent will be two-term Republican State Representative Jason Schultz. He's not my cup of tea, but he has a fairly substantial GOP voter registration edge on his side. Senate district 9 (map) also leans heavily Republican. It may not be on the ballot in 2012, unless current GOP incumbent Senators Nancy Boettger and Jim Seymour decide to face off in a primary. JANUARY 2012 UPDATE: Seymour is retiring, so there will be no election this year in Senate district 9.

Emmetsburg (Palo Alto County)

To my knowledge, there is no Democratic candidate yet in the new Iowa House district 2 (map). The Republican nomination is up for grabs, as no current incumbent lives in this district. There won't be a 2012 campaign in the new Senate district 1 (map), which includes Palo Alto County. Democrat Jack Kibbie's retirement means Republican Senator David Johnson will hold over until 2014.

Estherville (Emmet County)

Like Algona, which I covered above, Estherville is located in the new House district 7, represented by Democrat John Wittneben, and the new Senate district 4, which has no incumbent. Estherville is Wittneben's home base, and he'll need to run up the score here to win in this swing district. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Iowa Workforce Development office closure become a campaign issue for him.

Fairfield (Jefferson County)

Fairfield is located in the new House district 82 (map). Democrat Curt Hanson is the incumbent. Republicans will contest the new district 82 in 2012, because they have a slight voter registration advantage here. However, Hanson has strong local support, having won a 2009 special election and re-election in 2010 in the old House district 90. First-term Republican State Senator Mark Chelgren holds over until 2014 in the new Senate district 41 (map), which includes the Fairfield area. That's lucky for him, because Democrats should win this district back next time it's on the ballot. Chelgren defeated Democratic incumbent Keith Kreiman by only a dozen votes in 2010.

Glenwood (Mills County)

Glenwood is located in the new House district 23 (map), which has no incumbent but should be safe for Republicans, considering their commanding voter registration advantage in the area. The same goes for the new Senate district 12 (map), where Republican Joni Ernst, a 2011 special election winner, should easily be elected to a full term in 2012.

Harlan (Shelby County)

Like Denison, which I discussed above, Harlan is located in the new House district 18 (map). This campaign will pit Republican State Representative Jason Schultz, case law hater and Ron Paul endorser, against Democrat Kasey Friedrichsen, a former Iowa Workforce Development employee in the Denison office. Senate district 9 (map) contains two GOP incumbents, Nancy Boettger and Jim Seymour. If one of them retires, the other holds over until 2014. JANUARY 2012 UPDATE: Seymour announced his retirement; there will be no Senate district 9 election in 2012.

Humboldt (Humboldt County)

A contested Republican primary is likely in the new House district 10 (map). Neither first-term State Representative Tom Shaw nor five-term incumbent Dave Tjepkes lives in Humboldt County. Social issues may dominate the primary campaign. Shaw is more conservative, having been among a handful of House Republicans to back impeaching Iowa Supreme Court justices who concurred in the Varnum v Brien decision. Shaw also has supported bringing "personhood" legislation to the House floor and voted against a late-term abortion ban because it didn't go far enough to restrict abortions in his view. To my knowledge, no Democrat has announced plans to run in the new House district 10, which has a large GOP voter registration advantage. Democratic State Senator Daryl Beall holds over until 2014 in the new Senate district 5 (map), which includes Humboldt County. By then I doubt the Iowa Workforce Development restructuring will be a salient issue.

Iowa Falls (Hardin County)

About half of Hardin County, including Iowa Falls, is in the new House district 50 (map). This will be the site of the premier GOP primary battle of 2012, pitting House Agriculture Committee Chair Annette Sweeney against Economic Growth Committee Chair Pat Grassley, grandson of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley. My guess is there won't be a Democratic candidate in House district 50, which leans heavily Republican. There also won't be a 2012 election in Iowa Senate district 25 (map), where Iowa Falls is located. First-term Republican Bill Dix didn't get his wish to be Senate minority leader, but he does get to hold over until 2014 thanks to Rob Bacon's decision to run for the Iowa House instead.

Keokuk (Lee County)

Lee County has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state and used to contain two Iowa Workforce Development field offices. The agency decided to keep the other Lee County office open in Fort Madison. Both Keokuk and Fort Madison are located in the new Iowa House district 83 (map). Democratic State Representative Jerry Kearns should have no problem winning re-election in this heavily Democratic area, judging from his comfortable 2010 victory. Senate district 42 (map) lacks an incumbent with the retirement of Democrat Gene Fraise. To my knowledge, no Democrat has announced plans to run for this seat. Republicans have a candidate, Lee County Supervisor Larry Kruse, but the district has what should be a solid Democratic voter registration advantage.

Manchester (Delaware County)

So far Republican State Representative Lee Hein is the only announced candidate in the new House district 96, which includes all of Delaware County (map). The district doesn't have an overwhelming GOP voter registration advantage, but it's not clear whether Democrats can recruit a strong candidate here. The campaign in Senate district 48 (map) should be one of the most competitive statehouse races in 2012. State Representative Nate Willems will be the Democratic nominee and will probably face one of three Republicans running or considering this race: Dan Zumbach, Brian Cook, and Cindy Golding.

Maquoketa (Jackson County)

Democrat Tom Schueller, a Maquoketa native, is trying to return to the Iowa House in the new district 58 (map). He shouldn't need an Iowa Workforce Development office controversy to seal the deal against Republican Brian Moore, who may be the most endangered Iowa House incumbent in 2012. There won't be an Iowa Senate election in the new district 29 (map) next year. Democrat Tod Bowman holds over until 2014, thanks to Senator Tom Hancock's decision to retire.

Mount Pleasant (Henry County)

Republican Dave Heaton has represented the Mount Pleasant area in the Iowa House since the 1994 election. The new map puts Henry County in Iowa House district 84 (map). To my knowledge, no Democrat has announced plans to challenge Heaton, who will be heavily favored even if there is lingering resentment over the demise of the Iowa Workforce Development office. Henry County is part of the new Senate district 42 (map), which I discussed above in the context of Keokuk.

Muscatine (Muscatine County)

Democrats do not yet have a candidate in the new House district 91, which covers the Muscatine area (map). Republican State Representative Mark Lofgren defeated three-term Democratic incumbent Nathan Reichert in the old House district 80 in 2010. FEBRUARY 2012 UPDATE: John Dabeet will be the Democratic candidate in House district 91. The city of Muscatine and nearby areas of Muscatine county also like in the new Senate district 46 (map). That should become one of the most competitive state Senate races of 2012. Democrat Chris Brase will face one of two Republican incumbents: Shawn Hamerlinck or Jim Hahn.

New Hampton (Chickasaw County)

Like the Charles City area, discussed above, New Hampton and the rest of Chickasaw County are in the new House district 52 (map), represented by six-term Democrat Brian Quirk. To my knowledge, no Republican has announced plans to challenge Quirk, who benefits from a Democratic voter registration advantage. Chickasaw County lies in the new Senate district 26 (map), which I discussed above in the context of Charles City. Democratic State Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm has a decent shot here against Republican Senator Merlin Bartz.

Newton (Jasper County)

The optics of closing the Iowa Workforce Development branch in Newton are lousy: unemployment is relatively high in the city that hasn't fully recovered from the Maytag plant closing. On the other hand, Newton isn't far from Marshalltown or Des Moines, which both will retain staffed Iowa Workforce Development offices. Newton lies in the new House district 29 (map), represented by Democrat Dan Kelley. It's a strong Democratic district where no Republican has entered the race, as far as I know. There will be no election next year in the new Senate district 15 (map), which includes Newton and most of Jasper County. Democrat Dennis Black holds over until 2014.

Oelwein (Fayette County)

The Oelwein area lies in the new House district 64 (map), represented by Republican Dan Rasmussen. He narrowly defeated Democratic State Representative Gene Ficken in 2010 in the old House district 23, and the new district 64 leans Democratic in terms of voter registration. I am not aware of any Democrat actively campaigning here yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Iowa Workforce Development controversy pop up during the 2012 campaign. The part of Fayette county that includes Oelwein is in the new Senate district 32 (map). It's almost evenly divided in terms of voter registration, and Democratic incumbent Brian Schoenjahn could face a tough battle in 2012. Schoenjahn is from Arlington, a smaller town in Fayette County. He has no GOP challenger yet, to my knowledge.

Orange City (Sioux County)

Iowa Senate district 2 (map) and Iowa House district 4 (map) are located in one of the most Republican-voting counties in the United States. No amount of fallout over Iowa Workforce Development Offices will threaten State Representative Dwayne Alons or State Senator Randy Feenstra.

Osceola (Clarke County)

Osceola is the largest town in the new House district 27 (map). First-term Republican State Representative Joel Fry lives in Osceola, and his new district has only a slight GOP voter registration advantage. I haven't heard of any Democrat running for this seat yet. Clarke County is part of the new Senate district 14 (map). Neither party has an announced candidate here, as far as I know. Former Republican Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley decided against running for re-election in 2012.

Oskaloosa (Mahaska County)

Oskaloosa lies in the new House district 79 (map). Republican State Representative Guy Vander Linden lives in Oskaloosa. I doubt any resentment over an Iowa Workforce Development office will create a problem for him, given the large GOP voter registration advantage in this district. Meanwhile, two-term Democrat Tom Rielly is arguably the most endangered Iowa Senate incumbent in 2012, despite having previously served as mayor of Oskaloosa. Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by nearly 5,000 voters in the new Senate district 40 (map), which includes Oskaloosa.

Pella (Marion County)

Pella has a reputation as one of Iowa's most conservative towns, and it lies in the new House district 79 (map) along with Oskaloosa. Should be smooth sailing here for GOP State Representative Vander Linden and a rough ride for Democrat Rielly in he new Senate district 40 (map)

Perry (Dallas County)

The northwest portion of Dallas County, including Perry, lies in the new House district 20 (map). Republican State Representative Clel Baudler, a national board member of the National Rifle Association, is the incumbent here. He voted against the redistricting plan in the Iowa House but is in a fairly Republican district. I am not aware of any announced Democratic challenger to Baudler. Perry is in the new Senate district 10 (map). No incumbent lives here, but the open-seat race won't be attractive for Democrats given the voter registration numbers.

Pocahontas (Pocahontas County)

Like Humboldt, which I discussed above, Pocahontas is in the new House district 10 (map). Republican incumbents Tom Shaw and Dave Tjepkes appear likely to face off in a primary, and there is no announced Democratic candidate to my knowledge. Democratic State Senator Daryl Beall holds over until 2014 in the new Senate district 5 (map).

Red Oak (Montgomery County)

The northern two-thirds of Montgomery County, including Red Oak, are in the new House district 23 (map). Although the seat is open, it won't be an inviting target for House Democrats given the enormous GOP voter registration advantage. The Republican primary will in effect determine the winner of House district 23 in 2012. All of Montgomery County is the new Senate district 12 (map), where Red Oak resident Joni Ernst won't have any trouble being re-elected in 2012.

Shenandoah (Page County)

Like Clarinda, which I discussed above, Shenandoah is in the overwhelmingly Republican House district 24 (map) and Senate district 12 (map).

Storm Lake (Buena Vista County)

Buena Vista County is part of the new House district 11 (map). Incumbent Republican Gary Worthan lives in Storm Lake and will be able to run for re-election in a district with a strong GOP voter registration advantage. Worthan defeated Democrat Danuta Hutchins by nearly a 3:1 margin in 2010, and he shouldn't have much trouble winning a fourth term in 2012. The new Senate district 6 (map) is open, because current Senate Republican whip Steve Kettering has decided to retire in 2012. The winner of the GOP primary will be heavily favored in the general election, and it's possible that Democrats won't even field a candidate here.

Washington (Washington County)

Most of Washington County, including county seat Washington, is part of the new House district 78 (map). The new map paired two Republican incumbents: first-termer Jarad Klein and long-timer Betty DeBoef. She decided to retire, so Klein doesn't have to deal with a competitive primary. Democrats don't have a candidate yet in House district 78, which has a Republican voter registration advantage. There will not be a 2012 election in the new Senate district 39 (map), which covers the Washington area. Republican Sandy Greiner holds over until 2014, by which time the Iowa Workforce Development restructuring will be a long time past.

Waverly (Bremer County)

Waverly is the largest town the new House district 63 (map). Republican Pat Grassley currently represents Bremer County in the Iowa House, but no incumbent lives in the new district. Longtime Waverly resident Bill Heckroth, a former Democratic state senator, is running for this House seat and has at least one Republican opponent, Sandy Salmon. It should be a hard-fought race; Republicans have a voter registration edge, but the Democrat has a stronger base in the Waverly area. Bremer County is part of the new Senate district 32 (map), which I discussed above in the context of Oelwein. Democrat Brian Schoenjahn is the incumbent.

To sum up, the following potentially competitive Iowa House and Senate districts contain towns where Iowa Workforce Development offices have closed in 2011.

Democratic-held seats

House district 7 (Algona)

House district 52 (Charles City, New Hampton)

House district 80 (Centerville) *no incumbent

House district 82 (Fairfield)

Senate district 26 (Charles City, New Hampton) *Democratic vs Republican incumbent

Senate district 32 (Waverly, Oelwein)

Senate district 49 (Clinton) *no incumbent

Republican-held seats

House district 27 (Osceola)

House district 47 (Boone)

House district 63 (Waverly) *no incumbent

House district 64 (Oelwein)

House district 78 (Washington)

House district 91 (Muscatine)

House district 96 (Manchester)

Senate district 14 *no incumbent

Senate district 26 (Charles City, New Hampton) *Democratic vs Republican incumbent

Senate district 46 (Muscatine)

Senate district 48 (Manchester) *no incumbent

In all of the above districts, I would not be surprised to see Democratic incumbents or challengers criticize the Iowa Workforce Development restructuring, especially if Iowa's unemployment rate doesn't drop significantly during the next year. It's too early to say whether that would be a successful political strategy. It's possible that voters will share Governor Branstad's preference for hundreds of computer terminals instead of a few dozen field offices with part-time hours.

Any comments about the 2012 legislative races are welcome in this thread.

Hancock retiring; Bowman to hold over in Iowa Senate district 29

desmoinesdem — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:07:08 GMT

Democratic State Senator Tom Hancock announced on Monday that he will not seek re-election to the Iowa Senate in 2012. His decision means that fellow Democratic incumbent Tod Bowman can hold over in the new Senate district 29 until 2014, but it also means that Democrats must field a candidate in the new Senate district 49 next year.

District maps and background on Hancock and Bowman are after the jump.
Two-term incumbent Hancock is one of the most conservative Democrats in the Iowa legislature. He opposes abortion rights and has signed a Republican discharge petition supporting a Senate floor vote on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. However, the October 17 press release announcing his retirement emphasized work and achievements that align with other members of his caucus (excerpt):

As part of his tireless effort to reach out and listen to his constituents, Senator Hancock has traveled more than 50,000 miles in the district and attended more than 1,500 meetings and events in the district since he was elected to the Iowa Senate.
Senator Hancock served in the Senate for two years while Republicans were in the majority, two years under a historic 25-25 tie in the Senate, and for the past five years while Democrats controlled the Senate.
"During my time in the Senate, I was pleased to serve as chairman of the Justice System Appropriations Subcommittee, which provides funding for our state's prison system, State Patrol and other public safety services," he said. "I am also proud of our efforts to expand job creation and educational opportunities in our part of the state."
Senator Hancock pointed to other recent accomplishments by the Legislature, including:
· Balancing the state's budget without raising taxes
· Initiating emergency responder regional training centers
· Expanding drug courts
· Protecting children from sexual predators - online and in their homes, schools and neighborhood - with smarter, tougher and safer reforms.
· Increasing the state's minimum wage for thousands of working Iowans
· Making health care affordable and accessible for more Iowa families
· Increasing basic funding for local public schools and teachers
· Making tuition more affordable at our community colleges and universities
· Strengthening Iowa's anti-sex offender laws
· Providing incentives to boost production of renewable energy and to make Iowa less dependent on foreign oil
Besides being chairman of the Justice System Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Hancock also serves on the Appropriations, Agriculture, Judiciary, Natural Resources & Environment, and Transportation committees.
Senator Hancock is past president of the Iowa Fireman's Association, a 15,000-member statewide organization. He joined the Epworth fire department in 1968 and worked his way up through the ranks to become fire chief in 1987. As chief, Hancock led successful fundraising efforts to upgrade the department's emergency and life-saving equipment. He has been a state-certified paramedic and a certified fire service instructor for many years. He retired from his post as fire chief in 2003.
Senator Hancock and his wife, Coleen, have been married for more than 40 years and have one son, Steve. They are members of St. Patrick's Church in Epworth.

Hancock was first elected in 2004 to represent the current Senate District 16, which covers all of Jones County, most of Dubuque County, and part of Delaware County.

Iowa's new map of political boundaries put Hancock and Bowman into the new Senate district 29, covering all of Jackson County, part of Jones County and most of Dubuque County outside the city of Dubuque. Here's a closer view:

Bowman could have avoided a primary battle against Hancock by moving south from Jackson County into the new Senate district 49. That would have set up a rematch against Andrew Naeve, Bowman's 2010 Republican opponent in the old Senate district 13. Although that district had a huge Democratic voter registration advantage, Bowman defeated Naeve by just 70 votes. Naeve announced his 2012 candidacy in the new Senate district 49 soon after Governor Terry Branstad signed the Iowa redistricting plan into law.

Hancock's decision to retire means that Bowman can stay in Maquoketa, the Jackson County seat and the largest town in the new district 29. Bowman is a teacher and coach who grew up in Maquoketa and came back after college to raise a family. An October 18 Senate Democrats press release confirmed that Bowman will "formally announce his re-election plans" at a campaign kickoff event on November 4. Because district 29 is odd-numbered and Bowman is now the only Senate incumbent seeking to run there, he will not be on the ballot again until 2014. While a lot can change politically in three years, holding Senate district 29 should not be a problem for Bowman. As of April 2011, the district contained 16,109 registered Democrats and just 9,681 Republicans, with 15,915 no-party voters.

As I mentioned earlier, Bowman's decision to stay in Jackson County means that the new Senate district 49 lacks an incumbent. It will therefore be on the ballot in 2012 despite its odd number. The winner of the 2012 election will serve a half-term and face re-election along with other Senate incumbents in odd-numbered districts in 2014.

The new Senate district 49 covers all of Clinton County and parts of Scott County:

As of April 2011, the new district 49 contained 13,524 registered Democrats, 10,139 Republicans and 16,918 no-party voters. Naeve already demonstrated in 2010 that he can perform well in a Democratic district. He is a sixth-generation family farmer from the Clinton area and a former high school basketball star. He was also a strong basketball player for Cornell University in New York.

It shouldn't be hard to find one or more strong Democratic candidates in Clinton County. A competitive primary could be helpful. Bowman might not have beaten Naeve in 2010 if he hadn't had to do the legwork to win a four-way Democratic primary earlier in the year.

Share any relevant thoughts in this thread.

Andrew Naeve announces candidacy in Iowa Senate district 49

desmoinesdem — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:25:59 GMT

Republican Andrew Naeve announced today that he will run in the new Iowa Senate district 49 in 2012. He is a sixth-generation farmer in his mid-20s who serves on the East Central School Board. District 49 covers all of Clinton County and parts of northern Scott County, including the towns of Princeton and Le Claire. Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district, but no-party voters have a plurality. As of April 2011, the new district 49 contained 13,524 registered Democrats, 10,139 Republicans and 16,918 no-party voters. After the jump I've posted Naeve's press release and a district map.

Naeve ran for Iowa Senate district 13 last year, losing to Tod Bowman by a 70-vote margin after a recount. The open seat should have been an easy hold for Democrats, who had a strong registration advantage in the district. Notably, Naeve carried Clinton County by more than 500 votes in that race, even though there were nearly 4,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in the county at the time. Granted, 2010 was a poor year for Democratic turnout in Iowa, but the number of Democrats who cast ballots in Clinton County last November exceeded the number of Republican voters there by more than 1,000. Naeve must have done well with no-party voters.

No current state senator lives in the new district 49, which is why it will be among the odd-numbered Iowa Senate seats up for election in 2012. To my knowledge, no Democrat has announced plans to run in the district. Some have speculated that Bowman, an educator in Maquoketa (Jackson County), may move to district 49 to resolve being paired with fellow Democrat Tom Hancock in the new Senate district 29. I think it would be wiser for Democrats to recruit someone from Clinton County for this race. Presidential election year turnout should favor a Democratic candidate in district 49, but Naeve has shown he has crossover appeal.

UPDATE: John Deeth writes,

If Bowman were to move within his old Senate district, say, into Clinton County, he would be considered a holdover senator and his four-year term would continue till 2014. However, recent speculation points another direction: Bowman could also stay put in Maquoketa and hold over in District 29 if Hancock, age 63, retires. (Hancock was elected in 2008 so he would have to run no matter what.) District 29 is better for a Democrat by about 3,000 voters.

Hancock retiring would be fine by me. He has signed discharge petitions seeking to bring both the constitutional amendment on marriage and the 20-week abortion ban to votes on the Senate floor.

ANDREW NAEVE ANNOUNCES INTENTIONS TO RUN FOR SENATE DISTRICT 49
CLINTON - Andrew Naeve, a sixth generation family farmer from Clinton, has announced his intent to run for the newly created Senate District 49, a seat which includes all of Clinton County and portions of northern Scott County. Naeve, a Republican, came just 71 votes shy of being elected to the Senate in 2010 in a heavily Democratic district.
A lifelong Iowan raised on a family farm, Naeve, 26, graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, with a degree in Farm Business Management and Finance. Upon graduation, Naeve returned to Iowa to join his father and grandfather on the family's corn, soybean and cattle farm in rural Clinton County.
As a recent college graduate who returned home to Iowa to pursue his career, Naeve is running because he wants to see his generation and future generations be afforded the chance to stay in Iowa or come to Iowa to obtain a good job and raise their families in safe communities and good schools.
"I came back home to Iowa because I believe in Iowa and the opportunities and values that thrive here," said Naeve. "I am running because I want to focus on finding new ways to create private sector jobs so we can grow our state again. I want my generation and future generations of Iowans to be able to pursue their dreams in Iowa, find a rewarding career and raise their family," he continued.
Besides focusing on job creation and educational excellence, Naeve says he wants to cut the overall cost of government, better prioritize the state's spending and work to reduce Iowa's high property tax rates. As a family farmer, Naeve understands the burdens placed on small businesses by excessive government and says he looks forward to continuing to meet with the citizens of Clinton and Scott Counties and continue the conversation about the future of Iowa.
Andrew is married to Kristin Naeve. In addition to his work on his family farm, Naeve is Vice President of the East Central School Community School Board and a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Andover.
A more formal campaign announcement is expected to occur later this fall.