Barb Kniff McCulla wins House District 37 primary in Pella, defeating incumbent Jon Thorup

Samantha Hernandez, Des Moines Register
·1 min read

Barb Kniff McCulla, a construction company owner from Pella, will face off against newcomer Mike Overman of Pella for the House District 37 seat on the November ballot.

Incumbent state Rep. Jon Thorup, first elected in 2018, received 30% of the vote and Kniff McCulla received 70%, according to unofficial results.

The House District 37 primary took an unusual turn in May when Gov. Kim Reynolds endorsed Thorup's primary opponent Kniff McCulla. Thorup of Knoxville is an Iowa State Patrol Trooper seeking a third term.

Barbara Kniff-McCulla
Barbara Kniff-McCulla

At the time, Reynolds said she believed Kniff McCulla would “help enact a pro-taxpayer, pro-family and pro-parent agenda.”

Thorup was one of the Republicans who opposed Reynolds' plan to divert $55 million in public school funds to provide 10,000 students with scholarships to pay for private school expenses. The scholarships were one of the governor's top legislative priorities this year.

Related: In unusual move, Gov. Kim Reynolds endorses an Iowa Republican lawmaker's primary opponent

One of the concerns lawmakers have expressed over the bill is it would take funds from already underfunded rural schools.

The House District 37 seat was one of 25 contested Republican House primaries. Of those, 10 involved incumbents.

In this undated photo provided by the Iowa House of Representatives is state Rep. Jon Thorup, R-Knoxville. Thorup, an Iowa highway patrolman who was recently elected to the Legislature wrote almost no tickets to his future constituents as he made his first run for public office. The annual number of citations issued by Trooper Jon Thorup plummeted in 2018 as he campaigned for the Iowa House. He issued 8 tickets, or 1 for every 45 issued by the average trooper statewide. Thorup says he should have written more but that his priority was responding to calls in rural areas.

Kniff McCulla will face off against newcomer Mike Overman of Pella in November.

Election results: See Iowa primary election results across the state

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Pella House District election results: Barb Kniff McCulla wins primary