Ernst tops Filing Day 14

Joni Ernst is our biggest name filing on the day before deadline. That brings the total to five official Republican Senate candidates. Can Some Dude Paul Lunde get the names by tomorrow?

A busy day of filing in the 3rd CD Republican primary: Brad Zaun, David Young, Monte Shaw and Robert Cramer all got their papers in. In the 1st CD Democratic race, Dave O'Brien is in to split the white male Irishman vote with Pat Murphy and the Linn County vote with Swati Dandekar and Monica Vernon.  Which is fine with me because I'm with Anesa Kajtazovic.

Kajtazovic is not the only big name without the papers turned in: there's Jack Hatch, Dave Loebsack, Steve King, and Matt Schultz, Mark Lofgren and Jim Mowrer. And no GOP challengers yet to Tom Miller and Mike Fitzgerald. Two Democratic challengers came in today: Jonathan Niederbach is official, opposing appointee incumbent auditor Mary Mosiman, and Sherrie Taha, challenging ag secretary Bill Northey.

Former secretary of state, and former a lot of other things, Paul Pate wants his old job, or rather ONE of his old jobs, back. He'll face Democrat Brad Anderson.

Locally, Republican Bobby Kaufmann makes his second run in House 73 official. He'll face the winner of a probably contentious Democratic primary between former Cedar County supervisor Dennis Boedeker and frequent candidate David Johnson.

And county treasurer Tom Kriz is in for a fifth term. (Hardly considered longevity in his office, where deputy Betty Sass just retired after sixty years.) Kriz had a squeaker-close primary when he first won in 1998 but has been unopposed since.




Due March 31.

I'm taking and making bets: which significant announced candidate does not turn in papers tomorrow? Paul Lunde and Paul Dahl don't count. I'll bet Jonathan Narcisse, because he's had trouble with that before when he threatended to primary Chet Culver (he ran in the fall as the head of his own "Iowa Party" instead.)

Also: which primary loser ends up on the November ballot for another office? (Whitaker, who ran for treasurer in 2002 and was in the rumor mill for the attorney general race before, and even after, committing to the Senate run.) And who wins his nuisance primary challenge from a Some Dude by more: Wally Horn, Jack Whitver, or Walt Rogers? I'm not counting Joe Seng because I still hopes he gets a REAL challenger.

Seng filed for another term in Davenport's Senate 45 today . He has a primary challenge from Mark Riley, his 2010 REPUBLICAN opponent who also ran as an independent in 2012. Still a day for a more credible Democrat to get the 100 sigs for a primary challenge to this not so reliable Dem. And we all know Joe the Fibbin' Fisherman likes primary challenges.

Ex-Newton mayor Chaz Allen is official in open Senate 15, where fellow Democrat Dennis Black appears to be the week's big retirement surprise.

Jim France is the Democratic challenger in the top tier race in Senate 7 in Sioux City. Republican incumbent Rick Bertrand won by just a couple hundred voted in the 2010 wave.


Democrat Maria Bribriesco filed in Bettendorf-centered Senate 47 against Roby Smith, who looks like he'll be the first Republican to escape a primary there in a couple cycles. (David Hartsuch knocked off Maggie Tinsman in 2006, but lost to Smith in 2010.) Bribriesco lost a 2012 House race to Linda Miller, but scored a respectable 44.5% in the tougher half of the Senate seat.

And a couple Democratic incumbents in safe seats: Waterloo's Bill Dotzler in Senate 31 and Rob Hogg of Senate 35 in Cedar Rapids.

On the House side, Republican Dave Heaton of Mt. Pleasant is Officially running for re-election in House 84. When Ralph Holmstrom filed for the seat, there was speculation Heaton was retiring but no, it's a primary challenge.

Past Iowa Chair of Young Americans for Liberty Taylor Egly is the second Republican primary challenger to freshman Jake Highfill in House 39. Jerry Kinder was already in. The split vote may help the incumbent, an upset winner in 2012 when he knocked off Erik Helland in the primary.

Some previously mentioned top quality House Democratic challengers turned the papers in today: Hudson school board member Karyn Finn in House 60 (against the self-demoted former congressional candidate Walt Rogers), retired Maquoketa superintendent Kim Huckstadt in HD58 against vulnerable Republican Brian Moore, and attorney Marti Nerenstone in Council Bluffs'  House 16, challenging Mary Ann Hanusa.

A parr of rematches: Democrat Kristi Keast of Mt. Vernon filed in House 95. She lost to Quentin Stanerson by just 200 votes in 2012. And Democratic teacher Kevin Ericson is again challenging Nevada Republican Dave Deyoe. Ericson drew 40% in 2012.

The rumor mill said die-hard medical marijuana opponent Clel Baudler might get a primary opponent from the Big Liberty wing of the party. Not yet but he did draw a challenge from Democrat Steve Roe of Panora, a bike trail advocate.

Just outside of Marshalltown, Iowa Veterans Home employee Ben Westphal is in for the Democrats to challenge GOP freshman Dean Fisher.

Cleaning service owner Nicholas Dreeszen of West Des Moines filed as a Democrat in House 43; he'll face Republican incumbent Chris Hagenow.

Democrat Daniel Fessler of West Des Moines, a recent Iowa State grad, is challenging Peter Cownie in House 42. And Sioux City Republican Nick Noyes is challenging Democrat Chris Hall. All I can find on Noyes is that he's a student and a Sam Clovis co chair (See last definition here and see if it applies.) Looks like an easier race for Hall than last cycle when he was in the only two House incumbent general election race in the state against Jeremy Taylor.

ADDENDUM: I spaced out somewhere in the 90s and left off the three candidates in House 97, where Republican Steve Olson is retiring. Norlin Mommsen of DeWitt is in for the GOP. Democrats have a primary: Carl Boehl of LeClaire faces labor activist Jay Saxon of Camanche.