Showing posts with label Iowa House District 25. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iowa House District 25. Show all posts

Friday, August 17, 2012

District Of The Day 3: Iowa Senate District 13, Iowa House District 25 & 26

Senate District 13
Registration: D 12584, R 14298, N 13429, total 40338, R +1714
Incumbent: Kent Sorenson, R-Indianola; holdover seat

Well, this should be a very interesting race in 2014. Kent Sorenson is a lot of things, but boring isn't one of them. He got the national spotlight in the last week of caucus season with his defection from Michele Bachmann to Ron Paul. Now his work for the jilted Bachmann is in court, with the allegation that he lifted the home schooler's email list -- PRICELESS in the context of an Iowa GOP caucus -- for Team Michele.

The lawyers can sort that out. Me? I'm District of The Day guy, and Sorenson keeps pretty much the same turf. He loses a tine piece of Warren, keeps the rest and all of Madison County. Republican on paper, but more independent than anything. No legislator is ever safe in this swingy south suburban turf.

House District 25
Registration: D 6003, R 7629, N 7017, total 20661, R +1626
Incumbent: Julian Garrett, R-Indianola

Garrett's first run was a Senate bid in 2006, which he lost to Democrat Staci Appel (she in turn lost to Sorenson in 2010). When Jodi Tymeson retired from the House in 2010, Garrett won a three-way primary with 44%, winning his Warren County part of the district and the Dallas part that's now gone, but losing Madison.

The new seat is about half Madison and half Warren; with the Dallas part gone the Warren parts grow. This helped Garrett win a rematch primary fought on friends and neighbors lines. Former Madison County supervisor Joan Acela, who finished third overall in the 2010 primary but won Madison County, tried again in 2012. She narrowly carried Madison, but Garret won a 71-29% landslide in Warren for a 58-41 district-wide win.

In the old lines, Garrett beat a late-starting Democrat in 2010 with 64%. There are two separate chunks of Warren County: a chunk south of Indianola where Garrett lives, and a northern piece that includes Norwalk. And Norwalk is home for Democrat Katie Routh, a teacher who, yes I have to say it, is the mother of Superman star Brandon Routh.

July 19 Campaign Finance Report: Garrett for Statehouse Committee, Routh for Representative Routh has a big financial lead with $13,268.02 in the bank. That includes $3000 from her famous son, but the rules say Superman gets to help his mom. There's also, with more political significance, $1500 in labor money, even though this is only the number 72 Democratic district. Some Dude doesn't get labor money, and that indicates that this candidate and this race are getting taken seriously.

Garrett has a 10 grand self-loan outstanding and spent $6,882.36 during the filing period, which includes the last days before the primary. He has $1,574.85 on hand.

House District 26
Registration: D 6581, R 6669, N 6412, total 19677, R +88
Open seat; Glen Massie, R-Des Moines retiring.

Democrat Scott Ourth is supposed to be running for re-election right now. The former Warren County administrator broke every rookie candidate fundraising record, and his opponent was a tea party Some Dude named Glen Massie.

But it was 2010.

Massie found some like-minded allies in fellow freshmen Tom Shaw and Kim Pearson. But from the very beginning it seemed like the legislature was a poor fit for Massie and vice versa. In the end, without any sort of visible announcement that I could find, two other Republicans filed and he didn't. Warren County GOP "co-chair" Steve McCoy defeated Carlisle mayor Ruth Randleman 56-44 in the primary.

Ourth never really stopped running, and the new lines and the presidential cycle make this a little friendlier district for Ourth. It sheds Norwalk to the west into Garrett's district, and gains east and south Warren territory in return.

July 19 Campaign Finance Report: Scott Ourth for State Representative, McCoy For House 26 Ourth has a 100 to 1 cash on hand advantage with $37,014.92 on hand. McCoy spent what he had and more on the primary. With $2,600 in loans out and $584.11 in bills to pay, he had just $366.88.

Senate District 13, House District 25 & 26: District of the Day 1 - 5/11/2011 | District of the Day 2 - 3/16/2012

Friday, March 16, 2012

District Of The Day Reboot: Iowa Senate District 13, Iowa House District 25 & 26

Senate District 13
Registration: D 13570, R 14964, N 15293, total 43860, R +1394
Incumbent: Kent Sorenson, R-Indianola; holdover seat

It's been quite a ride for Kent: knocked off an incumbent in 2008, knocked off another incumbent in 2010, and national attention in the closing hours of 2011. So what are the back home electoral consequences of that last-second Dolchstoß of Michele Bachman? We won't know till 2014, as Sorenson holds over.

The district is remarkably unchanged from old Senate 37. It sheds a small bit of Dallas County and the city of Cumming in Warren (thus sparing Tom Harkin the indignity of being in Sorenson's district) and keeps all the rest of Warren and all of Madison County. This swingy south suburban turf has been a revolving door for legislators for over a decade, and is certain to be closely fought in the battle of Boswell-Latham, in the two House races, and in two years when Sorenson is up.

Campaign finance reports: Sorenson for Statehouse

House District 25
Registration: D 6482, R 7966, N 7877, total 22340, R +1484
Incumbent: Julian Garrett, R-Indianola; primary challenge/rematch

Garrett's first run was a Senate bid in 2006, which he lost to Democrat Staci Appel (she in turn lost to Sorenson in 2010). When Jodi Tymeson Retired from the House in 2010, Garrett won a three-way primary with 44%, winning his Warren County part of the district and the Dallas part that's now gone, but losing Madison. Garrett then beat a late-starting Democrat with 64%.

That friends and neighbors primary split is relevant again. Former Madison County supervisor Joan Acela, who finished third overall in the 2010 primary but won Madison County, is running again. Tymeson was Madison County based; are there still hard feelings that Warren now has two reps but Madison has none? The new seat is about half Madison and half Warren; with the Dallas part gone the Warren parts grow. There are two separate chunks of Warren County: a chunk south of Indianola where Garrett lives, and a northern piece that includes Norwalk.

Norwalk is home for Democratic teacher Katie Routh, whose big claim to fame is her son, actor Brandon Routh. But will Superman's Mom be able to leap a Republican registration edge in a single bound?

Campaign finance reports: Garrett for Statehouse Committee (Both Acela and Routh announced after the January 19 report)

House District 26
Registration: D 7088, R 6998, N 7416, total 21520, D +90
Open seat; Glen Massie, R-Des Moines retiring. Contested Republican primary.


Even during his first session, there were rumors that Massie was looking at not running. And without any sort of visible announcement that I could find, he just sort of didn't show up to file for re-election.

It wasn't a complete surprise because two Republicans had already filed: Carlisle mayor Ruth Randleman and Warren County GOP "co-chair" (sic) Steve McCoy. I have never yet been able to figure out why Iowa Republicans call their number two officer "co-chair."

Whichever one wins the primary faces Democrat Scott Ourth, who lost 53-47 to Massie but probably would have won in any year other than 2010. Scott Ourth for State Representative broke all sorts of fundraising records for a first time candidate, never really stopped running, and had $29,039 cash on hand on this year's January 19 report.

The new lines and the presidential cycle make this a little friendlier district for Ourth than old district 74. It sheds Norwalk to the west into Garrett's district, and gains east and south Warren territory in return.

Original post 5/11/2011 Statewide Map: Front | Back (with City Insets) | Old Senate, House

Friday, March 02, 2012

Friday Filings

Dave Loebsack tops a short list of candidates filing with the Secretary of State on Friday.

Primary challenge alert: Former Madison County supervisor Joan Acela filed in House District 25, now held by fellow Republican Julian Garrett. The two faced off, along with a third candidate, in the 2010 primary when Jodi Tymeson retired from this seat. Watch the friends and neighbors dynamic; Acela finished third overall but won Madison County. The new seat is about half Madison and half Warren, where Garrett is from. It sheds a chunk of Dallas County, where Garrett won and Acela did poorly. The winner will face Democrat Katie Routh in a seat that leans Republican but isn't out of reach for a Democrat.

Wayne County Supervisor Amy Sinclair officially joins the Republican race for open Senate District 14, the Paul McKinley seat. She has a primary with Steven Everly of Knoxville; winner gets Democrat Dick Schrad also of Knoxville.

In a top tier Senate race, Republican Ken Rozenboom, a Mahaska County Supervisor, filed in Senate District 40. With a Republican registration edge of more than 5500 and almost all new turf, this is going to be a very tough seat for Democratic incumbent Tom Rielly to defend.

And last but not least, my own representative, Democrat Mary Mascher, filed in House 86, the second most Democratic seat in the state. (Number one is Vicki Lensing's next door.)

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Democrat Routh Running in House 25

By now the sorts of people who read Iowa political blogs are all cued in to the fact that new Democratic House candidate Katie Routh has a famous son, right? Since that's taken care of let's look at the district.

House 25 keeps Madison County intact, and that's just over 50% of the population. The other half is two separate chunks of Warren County. The biggest change is the addition of a northern piece that includes Routh's base in Norwalk. There's also a reconfigured a southern rural piece that skirts south of Indianola. That's where first term GOP incumbent Julian Garrett lives.

Garrett lost a close 2006 Senate race to Democrat Staci Appel, then came back in 2010 to take this House seat over a late-starting Democrat when longtime Republican Rep. Jodi Tymeson retired.

The new turf has a post-caucus GOP registration edge of about 1500, up about 500 from the Map Day numbers. (The GOP registration totals are puffed about as high as they're going to get right now; insert my standard disclaimers that the trend simply indicate which party has had the most interesting recent internal contest.) So, uphill for Democrats, but worth a serious effort.

Other legislative contest news:

  • Bleeding Heartland looks at the House 56 contest in the northeast corner between GOP freshman Bob Hager and Democrat Patti Ruff.

  • Now THIS is how re-election announcements should be done:
    State Rep. Mark Lofgren said he doesn’t need to call a press conference to announce he’s running for re-election this fall.

    “Consider this my formal announcement,” the freshman legislator said by telephone from the state Capitol late Wednesday afternoon.

    Lofgren, R-Muscatine, has so far drawn one opponent for the November election — Democrat John Dabeet, a professor of economics and statistics at Muscatine Community College.
    None of this announcing that I'm going to announce dog and pony show, no Formal Announcement several months after the first story or, even worse, after the candidate has filed to get on the ballot.
  • Wednesday, May 11, 2011

    District of the Day: Senate District 13, House District 25 and 26

    District of the Day: Senate District 13, House District 25 and 26



    Senate District 13

    Registration: D 13376, R 13758, N 14051, total 41219, R+ 382
    Incumbent: Kent Sorenson, R-Indianola

    The swingy south suburban turf of Warren and Madison counties has been a revolving door for legislators for over a decade, and is certain to be closely fought in the battle of Boswell-Latham and in the two House races.

    But Kent Sorenson, instinctively a battler, won't have his own race to fight in 2012, since he holds over till `14.

    The district is remarkably unchanged from old Senate 37. It sheds a small bit of Dallas County and the city of Cumming in Warren (thus sparing Tom Harkin the indignity of being in Sorenson's district) and keeps all the rest of Warren and all of Madison County. The changes make a close district even closer.

    Here's the timeline of the turnovers:

    When this seat first got drawn in 2002, Republican Doug Shull knocked off Democrat Bill Fink. In 2006, Democrat Staci Appel set her sights on the seat early, and scared Shull into a backwards step to the Warren County House race, which he lost to Democratic incumbent Mark Davitt. Appel, meanwhile, defeated Julian Garrett.

    In 2008, Sorenson beat Davitt. Then in 2010, after one House term, he beat Appel. Garrett, meanwhile...

    House District 25

    Registration: D 6449, R 7341, N 7296, total 21103, R+ 892
    Incumbent: Julian Garrett, R-Indianola

    ...took over the Madison County based House seat when Jodi Tymeson retired. Garrett, 60, is from the Warren County part of the district, south of the city of Indianola and luckily for him south of the line. He won a three-way primary in old district 73 with 44%, winning Warren and Dallas but losing Madison. Garrett then beat a late-starting Democrat with 64%. He loses some east Warren precincts and, significantly, adds Norwalk. He also loses Cumming and the small part of Dallas County he had.

    House District 26

    Registration: D 6927, R 6417, N 6755, total 20116, D+ 510
    Incumbent: Glen Massie, R-Des Moines

    Scene of a major disappointment for Democrats last cycle. With Sorensen decamping for the Senate run after one term, Dems thought this was their number one takeover chance. They had a great candidate in Warren County public affairs director and longtime political operative Scott Ourth, who broke all kinds of first time candidate fundraising records. Republicans, meanwhile, had a Ron Paul activist named Glen Massie.

    But with the Sorensen-Appel race the top Republican priority, and the brutal climate of 2010, Massie pulled off a 53% win. He's been a thorn in the side of Republican leadership, joining Kim Pearson in voting no on abortion restriction bills because they weren't Roe-Wade challenging total bans. There have even been rumors that Massie, 53, has had enough after just one session.

    Ourth is expected to run UPDATE May 13: running again, and the new lines and the presidential cycle make this a little friendlier district for him than old 74. It sheds Norwalk to the west into Garrett's district, and gains east and south Warren territory in return. (Massie is from the far, far north end of the district, far enough that he has a Des Moines street address, but he's in Warren County.)

    New Map | New Map (Insets) | Old Map