Day 13 of Filing

Bruce Braley, Steve King and John Archer turned their paperwork in to Matt Schultz today, meaning the congressional ballot is probably complete. (And no, Joe Seng ain't gonna get the signatures.)

For my local readers, Democrat Sally Stutsman tops the filing for the day. The county supervisor filed in no-incumbent House District 77. Republican Steve Sherman is also in the race in this Democratic, all-Johnson seat.

Most of the filing today is in the News To Me department.

Democrat Ron Pierce, a community housing activist, filed in House District 16. That's the more Republican of the two Council Bluffs seats, where Mary Ann Hanusa is staying and running.

None of the rest of today's News To Me filings seems like game-changers.

Vicki Stogdill of Des Moines challenged Janet Petersen as a tea party independent in a 2010 House race. She's challenging Petersen again, only this time she's a Republican and it's in Senate District 18.

A second Republican is taking on the difficult task of running in Petersen's solidly Democratic old House Seat, House District 36. At least Tony Seliquini didn't move to the district after announcing for a Knoxville Senate seat like primary rival Larry Steele did. Democrats have a multi-candidate primary, and the winner there is a heavy favorite in the fall.

Panora Democrat Greg Nepstad filed in House District 20 against Republican Clel Baudler. I wonder if there's a primary challenger lurking, too; Clel got on the wrong side of the gun lobby during the Stand Your Ground debate.

Republican Howard Lyon Jr. of Cedar Falls filed in swingy House District 59. The incumbent is Democrat Bob Kressig.

Some Dude is gender neutral: Republican Patti Branco filed in House District 34, a solid Democratic Des Moines seat held by Bruce Hunter.

Maxwell Democrat Kevin Ericson is running in the outlying Story County seat, House District 49, against GOP incumbent Dave Deyoe.

In House District 55, a THIRD Republican joins the race against Democratic incumbent Roger Thomas: West Union minister Marshall Nessa.

Republican Gabe Swersie is making his third consecutive run in Newton-based House District 29. Paul Bell won the 2008 race with 61%. After Bell died in 2010, Democrats ran Dan Kelley who beat Swersie by a much closer 274 votes. The combination of the open seat and the GOP wave probably contributed to the close race, and Kelley picked up 1000 Democrats in redistricting.

Republicans go from no candidates to two in open Senate District 6, as Sac County sheriff's deputy Matthew Biede files. Carroll County Supervisor Mark Segebart has also announced. The primary winner faces Carroll Democrat Mary Bruner, who also filed today, in the race to succeed retiring Republican Steve Kettering.

Among announcements we expected:

Both Mike Gronstal and his opponent, Council Bluffs Republican Al Ringgenberg, filed, to make the Million Dollar Race in Senate District 8 official. (If it really IS gonna be a Million Dollar Race Ringgenburg needs to step up his fundraising...)

The Clash of The Titans Republican Primary in House District 50 is official, as co-incumbents Pat Grassley and Annette Sweeney both filed. This ruins my theory that a last-minute job offer would get Sweeney out.

I also, briefly, had a theory that Sweeney might try House District 54, but tripled-up House majority leader Linda Upmeyer called dibs on that and made the move official today.

Two House Republicans facing primary challenges from young candidates filed. Tom Shaw of Laurens filed in House District 10, where he faces a primary challenge from Maison Bleam. And Erik Helland of Johnston made it official in House District 39. Opponent Jake Highfill yesterday accused Helland of trying to buy him out of the race with a job.

Matt DeVries is the FIFTH Republican candidate to file in no-incumbent House District 37 in Ankeny, and as far as I know the last. I'm officially making TIWYDW an acronym.

In the most Democratic seat held by a Republican House District 58, former Rep. Tom Schueller, D-Maquoketa, is trying to come back against the guy who unexpectedly knocked him off in 2010, Republican Brian Moore of Zwingle.

And in the next district over, Democrat Nancy Dunkel of Dyersville is the first to file in strongly Democratic House District 57. Republican Steve Lukan is not running for re-election.

Democrat Bruce Bearinger of Oelwein filed in the very winnable House District 64. GOP incumbent Dan Rasmussen had to sit out a term, losing to Gene Ficken in 2008 but winning the 2010 rematch. And that was on better turf for a Republican.

Democrat Mark Seidl of Cedar Rapids was a top-tier challenger to Renee Schulte in 2010, but the climate was too toxic for Democrats to play offense and he lost by 1100. This year redistricting puts Seidl in House District 67, where he's challenging speaker Kraig Paulsen.

The routine incumbent section is getting slim. With filing today by Senators Dick Dearden, D-Des Moines in Senate District 16 and Liz Mathis, D-Cedar Rapids in Senate District 34, every senator has either filed or announced retirement. On the House side, we have Anesa Kajtazovic, D-Waterloo in House District 61.