Iowa Rep. Steve King says he'll seek re-election in 2020

Associated Press
Updated

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Rep. Steve King says he will seek re-election despite Republican House leadership's move to strip him of his committee assignments after his racist statements about white supremacy.

Asked Thursday about his future, King said "I am running in 2020."

King, a nine-term Republican from Iowa's sprawling 4th District, was speaking during a taping of an Iowa Public Television program.

King sparked an uproar and was stripped of his committee assignment after being quoted in a New York Times story saying, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?"

In his re-election campaign, King said he will stress his close ties to President Donald Trump and tell voters, "Don't let the elitists in this country, the power brokers in this country, tell you who is going to represent you in the United States Congress."