March 16 Candidate Filing

Branstad, Loebsack Lead Tuesday's Filing

Kerry Burt gets primary challenger

Terry Branstad made the mundane matter of the nomination papers into a bragging point, playing up his numbers in a Tuesday press release as Iowa's longest serving governor filed for a comeback.

Dave Loebsack is the third member of the U.S. House delegation to file, as the Mt. Vernon Democrat seeks a third term. Loebsack also gained an additional opponent, as Christopher Reed, the 2008 Senate nominee against Tom Harkin, becomes the fourth Republican in the 2nd CD primary.

While Steve King was calling for revolution to a Tea Party crowd outside the US Capitol today, Democrat Mike Denklau was at the Iowa Capitol filing to run against him in the 5th District.

State Senate activity picked up on Tuesday. Close to home, Coralville Democrat Bob Dvorsky filed for a fifth full term in Senate District 15. Dvorsky was unopposed last cycle.

Amanda Ragan (D-Mason City) of Senate District 7 (mostly in Cerro Gordo, Floyd and Mitchell) first won in a 2002 special and pulled 70% in 2006. Ragan both filed and drew an opponent Tuesday: Nora Springs Republican James Mills looks to be a Ron Paul type. Charles City radio personality Scott Lanenga is also annonced on the GOP side. John Skipper of the Globe-Gazette has a Mason City story.

GOP primaries also emerge in a couple other districts. In Senate District 21 Joe Pirillo, ex-Altoona city council, filed. He faces GOP operative Wes Enos in the primary, Pirillo ran as a Democrat in 2002 and lost a primary to Dennis Black of Newton, who's running again.

Republican Andrew Naeve of Clinton may have a basketball connection; in any case he filed in open Senate District 13 where Democrat Roger Stewart is stepping down.

Larry Aden of Jolley, who appears to be involved in both wind energy and tea parties, filed in Senate District 25. He'll see Chris McGonegle in a GOP primary; winner getstwo-term incumbent Daryl Beall, who won more than two to one in 2006.

Another two to one 2006 winner, Keith Kreiman (D-Bloomfield) filed again in Senate District 47.

Over on the House side, the big drama was Wayne Ford making the retirement official and walking down with the apparently endorsed successor, Ruth Ann Gaines, as she filed for House 65. Lost in the shuffle was Republican Gary Jordan, who also filed in the heavily Democratic Des Moines district.

There's a primary challenge to Kerry Burt in Waterloo as Democrat Anesa Kajtazovic files. She has an interesting backstory here and at age 22 or 23 would break Elesha Gayman's youngest woman elected to the legislature record.

Another of the legislature's few young women, and the newest legislator, filed for her first full term today. Rep. Kirsten Running-Marquardt (D-Cedar Rapids) was a November `09 special election landslide winner in House District 33.

(I know I'm inconsistent with the use of the honorific, but I've been friends with Kirsten so long that it still gives me a kick to put Rep. in front of her name.)

Muscatine Democrat Nathan Reichert makes his fourth term bid official, filing for re-election in House District 80 where he faces Republican Mark Lofgren.

Two Eastern Iowa challengers filed in sure to be hot races. Waterloo Republican Walt Rogers lost a recounted squeaker by 22 votes to Sen. Jeff Danielson in 2008. This cycle his sights are set on the House as he challenges incumbent Doris Kelly in House District 20. In House 37, Attorney Mark Seidl filed on the Democratic side to challenge first-term, 13 vote landslide winner Renee Schulte (R-Cedar Rapids).

Some filing in the musical chairs of Sioux City. Democrat David Dawson files in House District 1 where Wes Whitead is leaving. He'll face Whitead's 2008 opponent Jeremy Taylor. And Chris Rants' 2008 opponent, Democrat Carlos Venable-Ridley, will try again for the now-open House 54.

The three-way GOP primary for the right to take on Democrat Andrew Wenthe in House District 18 is official as Darin Rulapaugh files and joins Sandy Salmon and Roger Arthur.

Republican Jim Burke is challenging Rep. Todd Taylor in Cedar Rapids' House District 34. Taylor has held the seat with little fuss since winning a 1995 special: two to one in 2006, unopposed in 2008.

Pella Democrat (they have those) Pat Van Zante, who won 38% in the same race in 2008, will try again in House District 71. Incumbent Jim Van Engelenhoeven hasn't filed, but his 2008 primary challenger Marc Held has.

Finally, Matt Alcazar first announced his House District 49 candidacy as an independent, then switched to the GOP where he filed today. Either way, he faces Democratic incumbent Helen Miller.