PRIMED & READY FOR PRIMARIES
Jun. 2—Registered voters from the two major parties in Jasper County have to figure out which candidates they want to see on the general election ballots later this year.
The primary election is on June 7. For more information about the election, visit staff at the auditor's office in room 202 of the courthouse in Newton, or contact county auditor Dennis Parrott at auditor@jaspercounty.iowa.gov or deputy auditor Tina Mulgrew at tmulgrew@jaspercounty.iowa.gov.
Several of the races in the primary feature candidates who are not competing against others from their own party to be included on the ballot in November. However, there are still a number of contested primaries that Jasper County voters will have to settle.
Here are the candidates appearing on primary ballots.
The races for the following offices feature some form of competitive primary (some candidates are campaigning against another person from their respective party for the nomination):
JASPER COUNTY SUPERVISOR — TWO SEATS
Six people are campaigning for two open spots on the Jasper County Board of Supervisors. Republican incumbents Denny Carpenter and Brandon Talsma are seeking re-election, but newcomer Julia Prendergast has effectively forced GOP voters in the county to consider her name on the ballot, too.
Democrats have also flocked to fill the seats. Scott DeVries, Bev Price and Pam Olson will all be considered for the Democratic nomination. Like the Republicans, only two will be chosen by registered party voters. Results of the primary will bring the race down to four candidates from the two respective parties.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE — DISTRICT 37
State Rep. Jon Thorup wants to continue his work in the statehouse by filling the newly re-districted seat that represents southern Jasper County and portions of Marion and Mahaska Counties. However, Thorup is challenged by fellow Republican by Barb Kniff McCulla, of Pella.
Democratic candidate Mike Overman is also running for the seat but does not have any primary opponents.
U.S. SENATOR
Of the five candidates vying for a spot in the U.S. Senate, two are Republicans and three are Democrats. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is seeking his eighth consecutive term, but the longtime lawmaker is seeing competition from his own party in State Sen. Jim Carlin of Senate District 3.
Meanwhile, Democrats Abby Finkenauer, Michael Franken and Glenn Hurst are all competing for their party's nomination. Finkenauer is a former Iowa congresswoman, Franken is a retired Navy admiral and Hurst is a rural Iowa doctor who also worked alongside Cindy Axne's election campaign.
SECRETARY OF STATE
Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, is running uncontested in his own party. But there are two Democrats vying for their party's nomination: Joel Miller, the county auditor and commissioner of elections of Linn County, and Eric Van Lancker, the county auditor and commissioner of elections of Clinton County.
AUDITOR OF STATE
State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, is also running uncontested in his own party. But two Republicans are competing for their party's nomination on the ballot: realtor Todd Halbur, of Clive, and former Iowa House Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa, of Council Bluffs.
The races for the following offices do not feature some form of competitive primary (none of the candidates are campaigning against another person from their respective party for the nomination):
STATE REPRESENTATIVE — DISTRICT 38
State Rep. Jon Dunwell, a Republican, and Erick Zehr, a Democrat, will be competing for the redistricted Iowa House District 38 seat, which is mainly comprised of Baxter, Colfax, Kellogg, Lambs Grove, Lynnville, Mingo, Newton, Oakland Acres and parts of Reasnor and Sully.
STATE SENATOR — DISTRICT 19
The two individuals campaigning for the the redistricted Iowa Senate District 19 are Democrat Tyler Stewart, of Newton, and Republican Ken Rozenboom, of Oskaloosa. District 19 covers all of Jasper County and most of Marion County.
U.S. STATES REPRESENTATIVE — CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1
Following the redistricting, Jasper County will have moved into Congressional District 1, which largely covers the southeastern corner of the state. Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, of Ottumwa, wants to continue her work in D.C., but Democrat Christina Bohannan has something to say about that.
According to the candidate list posted by the Iowa Secretary of State's Office in June, neither Miller-Meeks nor Bohannan have primary opponents.
GOVERNOR
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is seeking re-election. Reynolds originally became governor in 2017, following the resignation of Terry Branstad. She would go on to defeat Democrat Fred Hubbell and Libertarian Jake Porter in the general election in 2018, becoming the first woman in the state to be elected governor.
Reynolds is not facing off any candidates in her own party, but she is being challenged by Democrat Deidre DeJear and Libertarian Rick Stewart. Neither DeJear nor Stewart are being challenged in the primary by other candidates in their own parties.
DeJear has lived in Iowa since attending Drake University. In addition to owning a business for the past 15 years where she empowered more than 1,000 small businesses, Diedre has served as a coach for the East High School girls basketball team and created a nonprofit while a student at Drake.
Stewart was born and raised in Iowa, but he spent a great deal of his life traveling the world. He also ran unsuccessfully for a number of elected offices. The Libertarian ran for sheriff of Linn County in 2016, secretary of agriculture in 2018 and U.S. senator in 2020. He is now determined to run for governor.
ATTORNEY GENERAL, STATE TREASURER & SECRETARY OF AG
Neither of the candidates or incumbents running for secretary of agriculture or state treasurer have primary opponents in their own party. Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat; State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald, a Democrat; and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, a Republican, are running for re-election.
Campaigning against Miller for attorney general is Republican Brenna Bird, of Dexter. Running against Fitzgerald for state treasurer is Republican Roby Smith, of Davenport. Running against Naig for the secretary of agriculture office is Democrat John Norwood, of West Des Moines.
The following primary races are completely uncontested and consist of incumbents running for re-election:
COUNTY TREASURER, RECORDER & ATTORNEY
Jasper County Treasurer Doug Bishop, Jasper County Recorder Denise Allan and Jasper County Attorney Scott Nicholson, all of which are Democrats, are seeking re-election but are not being challenged by anyone in their own party or by someone else from the Republican party.
Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext 6560 or at cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com
