Friday filing update

The second filing update of the week from the Secretary of State was posted late this afternoon, and only one completely new name surfaced.

Chad Folken of Waterloo filed in House District 62 against Democratic incimbent Deborah Berry. Folken donated $100 to the Black Hawk County GOP as recently as May, but he's filed as an independent.

Maybe he figures the GOP label is a negative in the second most Democratic district in the state. I've seen that dynamic here in the People's Republic of Johnson County (home of the number one and three Democratic districts). But when you file as an independent, you give up the Republican straight ticket votes, which even in a district like this add up to something. As an independent, Folken will have to earn each and every vote on his own, and a GOP straight ticket vote will simply skip the race.

At Thursday's House District 90 convention, Republicans nominated one Ryan Roberson (Some Dude-Davenport). It's a heavily Democratic seat held by Cindy Winckler, and there's already an ex-Republican in the race, 2010 state senate candidate Mark Riley running this year as an independent. Splitters!

What's likely to be the last major party convention before next Friday's deadline is happening tonight in Lee County. Republicans are expected to nominate Jim Steffens to challenge Democratic incumbent Jerry Kearns in House 83 -- the fourth most Democratic seat in the state.

As for presidential candidates, we're still at two: the Socialist Workers and Jerry Litzel of Ames. Holly Hart of the Greens updates via Facebook on petition efforts for presidential candidate Jill Stein: "We're hanging on by our toenails, but holding on. Hope the expected sheets come in the mail and in person by tomorrow and Saturday, and plan to send in on Saturday. we should have, hopefully, between 1750 and 1800" with 1500 required.

And just for fun, Buzzfeed lists the seven craziest candidates of the cycle, but amazingly forgets united States senator Randi-Kaye: Shannon.