Former Iowa House Democratic Leader Kevin McCarthy running for Polk County Attorney
A onetime senior legislator is the latest candidate seeking to replace Polk County's long-serving chief prosecutor.
Kevin McCarthy represented Des Moines as a Democrat in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2003 until 2013. For seven of those years, he served as House majority or minority leader. In a campaign announcement Thursday, he said he is launching a campaign for Polk County Attorney at the urging of friends and supporters.
"Although I know I will likely be the underdog in this race, as I am not the endorsed candidate of the current Polk County establishment, I now believe I can mount a viable campaign and therefore I will launch, effective today, an old-school grassroots campaign," McCarthy said.
McCarthy is one of three Democrats now running to replace John Sarcone, who announced in June he will not seek reelection after holding the position since 1990.
The other contenders are juvenile court attorney and former U.S. Senate candidate Kimberly Graham and veteran prosecutor Laura Roan, currently a deputy in Sarcone's office. Both Graham and Roan declared their candidacies shortly after Sarcone announced his plan to retire.
Previously: Two announce plans to run for Polk County Attorney after John Sarcone says he won't seek a ninth term
Thursday's announcement comes with a number of early endorsements. State Reps. Ruth Ann Gaines and Ako Abdul-Samad, both of whom represent Des Moines districts, are McCarthy's campaign co-chairs, and other supporters include former Iowa Board of Parole Chair Helen Miller and Central Iowa Building and Construction Trades Council President Earl Agan.
McCarthy promises a "progressive agenda" and lists a number of priorities such as establishing dedicated units to combat worker exploitation and bullying, and addressing mental health needs to reduce recidivism. His announcement touts past efforts to combat bullying and add legal protections for LGBT Iowans and passing legislation to reduce the sentencing disparities between powder and crack cocaine that tends to cause disproportionately long sentences for minority communities.
He also suggests he can be a calming presence in Polk County government, which has recently seen its Board of Supervisors engaged in litigation or restricting each others' authority.
"With all of the very visible, current political disfunction in Polk County, I believe, if elected, I can be a voice of reason and a stabilizing influence,” McCarthy said.
A former line prosecutor in Sarcone's office, McCarthy resigned from the Legislature in 2013 to take a position in the Iowa Attorney General's Office, where he eventually rose to the position of First Assistant Attorney General. More recently, he has worked for the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters.
This year's primary election will be held June 7, and the candidate filing period for county offices runs from March 7-25. No Republicans have yet announced plans to run for the office.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa House veteran Kevin McCarthy joins race for Polk County Attorney
