With less than two weeks remaining before June 3, interest groups with a preference in competitive primaries have presumably made their views known by now. On the Democratic side, labor unions are most likely to get involved in primaries, so I wanted to compile in one place the full list of candidates in competitive Democratic races who have been endorsed by one or more organized labor group. None of the Democrats seeking statewide office in Iowa this year has a primary opponent, and I’ve omitted county-level races. The list below includes candidates running for Congress in the first district and seeking various Iowa House and Senate seats.

I will update this post as needed if I learn of other labor union endorsements. Note that many other Democratic candidates already have or will have organized labor’s official support for the general election campaign. Blog for Iowa posted all of the Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO’s endorsements for 2014 here. A complete list of candidates who will appear on primary ballots is on this page of the Iowa Secretary of State’s website.

When State Representative Tyler Olson launched his campaign for governor this summer, I expected several Democrats to jump at the chance to represent Iowa House district 65. According to the latest figures from the Iowa Secretary of State, the Cedar Rapids seat Olson will vacate at the end of next year contains 9,510 registered Democrats, 4,859 Republicans, and 7,369 no-party voters. In other words, the winner of the Democratic primary is almost certain to succeed Olson in the Iowa House.

To my knowledge, only Liz Bennett is actively running for House district 65. A volunteer for many Democratic candidates and various progressive causes in Linn County, Bennett now works for the internet company Go Daddy. She created a campaign Facebook page in July and formally kicked off her bid for the Iowa House at a Cedar Rapids event this past Saturday. So far there’s not much detail on Bennett’s campaign website. Her Facebook page includes a brief statement of priorities: “I believe that education, a strong middle class, diverse communities, and common-sense environmental policy are the keys to economic growth for Iowa.” After the jump I’ve posted more background, provided by the candidate.

I would not be surprised to see other Democrats declare before the filing deadline in March 2014. On the other hand, Bennett may be able to clear the field in House district 65. Not only has she served on the Linn County Democratic Central Committee and chaired her precinct caucus, she was chosen to be a delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention.