Four Iowa legislative primaries to watch on June 4
Governor Reynolds makes a cameo appearance
Given the busy legislative session and my Iowa House credentialing saga, I haven’t had the bandwidth to write much campaign coverage this year. But I’m trying to make up for lost time before the June 4 primary.
Three of Iowa’s four U.S. House districts have a competitive primary. GOP incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks faces David Pautsch in the first Congressional district. Democrats Lanon Baccam and Melissa Vine are battling for the chance to run against Zach Nunn in the third district. GOP incumbent Randy Feenstra has been spending heavily against Kevin Virgil, who’s seeking the nomination in the fourth district.
I’m most interested in the state legislative races. Lots of House and Senate districts have competitive primaries. For my money, these are most intriguing campaigns:
Iowa Senate district 30 (GOP primary)
If opposition to grabbing farmland for CO2 pipelines matters anywhere, it should be here. Challenger Doug Campbell has made property rights the centerpiece of his campaign. The incumbent, two-term State Senator Waylon Brown, has buried all eminent domain bills in the committee he chairs. And Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed CO2 pipeline would run through every county in the district.
My Bleeding Heartland article has much more about the race: a district map, recent voting history and latest voter registration numbers in the area, themes of each candidate’s message to GOP voters, and highlights from reports on campaign fundraising and spending.
Iowa House district 60 (GOP primary)
This House seat covers the more Republican half of Senate district 30. John Rosenfeld is running against four-term State Representative Jane Bloomingdale from the right.
In a late twist, Governor Kim Reynolds endorsed Bloomingdale, even though the incumbent voted against one of the governor’s top legislative priorities last year and has consistently opposed GOP efforts to ban abortion in Iowa.
You can read much more about the district and the campaign at Bleeding Heartland.
Iowa House district 22 (GOP primary)
I previewed this campaign last September and am working on a follow-up piece for Bleeding Heartland, to publish either before or after the primary election. In this open seat covering part of Warren County, former State Representative Garrett Gobble (who represented part of Ankeny in the Iowa House for two years) faces Samantha Fett, a former Carlisle school board member and chapter leader of Moms for Liberty.
Iowa House district 34 (Democratic primary)
State Representative Ako Abdul-Samad (Iowa’s longest-serving Black legislator) is not seeking re-election in this part of Des Moines. Four Democrats are competing for the chance to represent one of the state’s bluest districts.
Many well-known political figures have endorsed Rob Johnson, including Abdul-Samad, State Auditor Rob Sand, and Deidre DeJear, the 2022 Democratic nominee for governor. John Campbell has the backing of several labor organizations. And Samy El-Baroudi has knocked on a lot of doors.
If you don’t want to miss anything published at the main site, sign up for my other free email newsletter, which links to all recent Bleeding Heartland articles and commentaries. One piece in progress will highlight ten Iowa House Republicans who (to my surprise) are not facing primary challengers.
Spencer Dirks and I will be live on KHOI radio Monday evening at 7 pm to preview more primary races and discuss other news from the past two weeks in Iowa politics. (We took Memorial Day off.)
I’ll share the audio file and list of topics covered in this space, as always. Those who prefer to listen without reading can subscribe to “KHOI’s Capitol Week” on any podcast platform.
If you haven’t voted yet, you can vote in person at your county auditor’s office on Monday, June 3 during regular business hours, or at your precinct polling place on June 4 between 7:00 am and 8:00 pm. Remember to bring some form of valid ID, such as a driver’s license or non-operator ID, a military or veteran ID, or U.S. passport.
If you have moved since the last time you voted, or have never registered to vote in Iowa, it’s not too late to register! Just bring some proof of address (such as a residential lease, bank statement, utility bill, paycheck, or government check) in addition to your ID.
Which Iowa primary races are you following most closely? Share any thoughts or predictions in the comments.
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Thanks, Laura.