Cedar Rapids business owner Steve Rathje announced yesterday that he is exploring a race against three-term Democratic Representative Bruce Braley in Iowa’s first Congressional district. Rathje noted that “only one quarter of the American people believe our country is headed in the right direction.” With high rates of unemployment and underemployment bringing the country to “a tipping point economically,” Rathje touted his experience in creating or preserving manufacturing jobs in the U.S.  The full text of his press release is after the jump.

If Rathje runs against Braley, it would be his third attempt to win a seat in Congress. He finished a close third in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in 2008, behind Christopher Reed and George Eichhorn. Rathje finished a distant second to Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the Republican primary for the second Congressional district in 2010.

The economy will be the central issue in the next election, and Rathje may be well-positioned to talk about job creation. Click here to view one of his television commercials from last year’s IA-02 race. In addition, Republicans would be wise to run a candidate from Linn County against Braley. The Cedar Rapids metro area is the largest population center in the new IA-01, and Braley has not represented Linn before. I posted Iowa’s new Congressional map after the jump.

I’m not convinced Rathje has a strong enough Linn County base to make this race competitive, though. He carried Linn in the 2008 Senate primary but finished behind Ottumwa-based ophthalmologist Miller-Meeks in his home county in 2010. In fact, some Linn County GOP movers and shakers recruited Rob Gettemy to the IA-02 primary last year because they weren’t satisfied with the declared field against Democrat Dave Loebsack.

Rathje may also be too conservative to give Braley a tough challenge in a district with a partisan voting index of D+5, especially in a presidential election year. The 20 counties in the new IA-01 voted for Barack Obama over John McCain by a 58 to 40 percent margin in 2008, and for John Kerry over George W. Bush by a 53 to 46 percent margin in 2004.  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Cedar Rapids Businessman Announces Congressional Exploratory Committee

Cedar Rapids businessman and entrepreneur, Steve Rathje, today announced the formation of an exploratory committee for a possible bid for Congress in Iowa’s new First Congressional District.

“According to recent polling, only one quarter of the American people believe our country is headed in the right direction.  That means a staggering 75% think we’re heading the wrong way,” said Rathje.  “That opinion is driven by fear — fear caused by a soaring debt, crippling deficits, and the lack of political will in Washington to get a grip on the out-of-control spending. With unemployment numbers hovering around 8% in the district and 10% nationwide, equating to nearly 45 million unemployed and underemployed across America, things have really hit a tipping point economically and something must be done.”

Steve Rathje is the founder and CEO of International Procurement Services, Inc. (IPS), an Iowa based company.  IPS was formed in 1992 to work specifically with companies all across America in an effort to eliminate corporate waste, cut unnecessary spending and bring good paying manufacturing jobs back home to America. His focus is on the manufacturing sector, working directly with a “part specific” supply chain competing daily with countries like China, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Canada, Europe and India.

When asked about what his business actually does, Rathje explained it this way, “I am literally in the business of bringing manufacturing jobs home to America — or keeping them from leaving here in the first place.  We work directly with a hand-picked, “part specific” supply chain that offers the most cost effective and competitive means available for keeping jobs in the United States.  That keeps the money in the pockets of U.S. workers.”  He went on to say, “When Congress talks about ‘creating jobs’, I often wonder how many of them actually know, from personal experience, what creating jobs entails.  I do.”

Rathje is a fiscal conservative who shares the belief of three in every four Americans that we’ve veered off the path and that Congress has let its focus stray from what is really important – paying down the debt, controlling spending, and creating jobs.

Steve is looking forward to visiting with Iowans throughout Northeast Iowa in the new First Congressional District to share his ideas and listen to their concerns as he explores how he can best serve his country in this crucial hour.

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