Senate District 36
Registration: D 11129, R 12062, N 13993, total 37204, R +933
Incumbent: Steve Sodders, D-State Center
No
Democrat gained more from the Republican primary results than Steve
Sodders. The Branstad wing of the party recruited Sodders' predecessor,
former three-term senator and one time congressional candidate Larry
McKibben. But primary voters preferred tea partyish two-time House loser
Jane Jech over McKibben, 59-41%. The race dropped significantly in
priority soon after.
Sodders, a deputy sheriff, won by more
than 3,000 votes when McKibben retired in Democratic wave year 2008. The
new lines will help him in 2012, as he sheds 1500 Republicans and this
becomes a true swing seat.
Marshall County makes up
two-thirds of this seat. The old district had all of Hardin County and
the tiny piece of Ackley in Franklin County. The district moves east to
take in all of Tama County and a small piece of southern Black Hawk.
July 19 Campaign Finance Report: Jane Jech for Iowa Senate, Sodders for State Senate
Sodders has been prepping for a tough race. He raised over $32,000 in
June and July and has $68,734.76 on hand. Jech took in $16,429.00
post-primary and has $11,065.75.
House District 71
Registration: D 5557, R 5545, N 6356, total 17467, D +12
Incumbent: Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown
The
District Draws Itself: With a census population of 27,552, Marshalltown
is 90.4% of ideal district size. This remains a swing seat, as it's
been for years. As of my August 9 benchmark date, the voter registration margin of 12
voters for the Democrats makes this the most evenly split seat in the
state. There was a 58 vote race here in 1992, and Smith won the
seat in 2000 by knocking off three term Republican Beverly
Nelson-Forbes by just 275. He settled in to the point where he was
unopposed in 2004 and 2006, and beat Jech by more than 1700 in 2008. But
in a rematch with Jech against the 2010 GOP wave, Smith survived by
just a 303 vote margin.
With Jech in the Senate race, Republicans have turned to farmer and ex-school board member Allen Burt for the House race.
July 19 Campaign Finance Report: Mark Smith for Iowa House, Allen Burt for House Smith raised more than 10 grand in June/July and has $29,485.98. Burt has $18,255.48 on hand.
House District 72
Registration: D 5572, R 6517, N 7637, total 19737, R +945
Open seat; Lance Horbach, R-Tama, not seeking re-election
Horbach
announced his retirement before The Map was even released. Republican
Dean Fisher of Garwin will try to hold a seat that's significantly less
Republican. The old Tama-Grundy seat had a GOP registration edge of
almost 2500, and Horbach, after winning his first term by 9 votes, had
gradually settled into the comfort of uncontested races. This decade
Tama County gets sent west to pick up all of Marshall County south and
west of Marshalltown.
This shifts the district into the swing
seat zone. In a Democratic primary upset, school custodian and county
conservation board member Nathan Wrage defeated highly touted tribal executive Christina Blackcloud-Garcia. 54-46%.
July 19 Campaign Finance Report: Dean Fisher for House 2012, Wrage for State Representative Wrage had $2,341.06 on hand; Blackcloud-Garcia had pulled in some big out of state donations. Fisher has $3,822.98.
Senate District 36, House District 71 & 72: District of the Day 1 - 6/13/2011 | District of the Day 2 - 3/16/2012
The worst.
Showing posts with label Steve Sodders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Sodders. Show all posts
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
District Of The Day Reboot: Iowa Senate District 36, Iowa House District 71 & 72
Senate District 36
Registration: D 12349, R 13045, N 16292, total 41708, R +696
Incumbent: Steve Sodders, D-State Center; contested Republican primary, comeback attempt
Republicans have recruited a top-tier challenger for Steve Sodders: his predecessor.
Former three-term senator and one time congressional candidate Larry McKibben is challenging Sodders. Another Republican was already in the race when McKibben announced: two-time House loser Jane Jech. But she wasn't dissuaded so they'll settle things in the primary.
Marshall County makes up two-thirds of this seat. The old district had all of Hardin County and the tiny piece of Ackley in Franklin County. The district moves east to take in all of Tama County and a small piece of southern Black Hawk.
Sodders won by more than 3,000 votes when McKibben retired in Democratic wave year 2008. The new lines will help him in 2012, as he sheds 1500 Republicans and this becomes a true swing seat. Sodders, a deputy sheriff, has cut a moderate image and is recently raffling off guns as a fund raiser.
Finance reports were due before McKibben joined the race. Sodders for State Senate had a big money lead: $26,630 in cash on hand compared to $784 for Jane Jech for Iowa Senate.
House District 71
Registration: D 6233, R 6070, N 7551, total 19863, D +163
Incumbent: Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown
The District Draws Itself: With a census population of 27,552, Marshalltown is 90.4% of ideal district size. Even the rural part stays almost the same, adding one township and keeping the communities of Albion and Liscomb.
Democrat Mark Smith is the beneficiary of this geopolitical and numeric serendipity, and of course the partisan balance barely changes. This remains a swing seat, as it's been for years (one upside of the district Draws Itself is comparisons across decades are possible). There was a 58 vote race here in 1992, and Smith won the seat in 2000 by knocking off three term Republican Beverly Nelson-Forbes by just 275. He settled in to the point where he was unopposed in 2004 and 2006, and beat Republican Jane Jech by more than 1700 in 2008. But in a rematch with Jech against the 2010 GOP wave, Smith survived by just a 303 vote margin.
With Jech in the Senate race, Republicans have turned to farmer and ex-school board member Allen Burt for the House race.
Campaign finance reports: Mark Smith for Iowa House
House District 72
Registration: D 6116, R 6975, N 8741, total 21845, R +859
Open seat; Lance Horbach, R-Tama, not seeking re-election. Contested Democratic primary
Horbach announced his retirement before The Map was even released. Republican Dean Fisher of Garwin will try to hold a seat that's significantly less Republican. The old Tama-Grundy seat had a GOP registration edge of almost 2500, and Horbach had gradually settled into the comfort of uncontested races. This decade Tama County gets sent west to pick up all of Marshall County south and west of Marshalltown. It also adds two rural Black Hawk County townships and La Porte City.
This shifts the district into the swing seat zone, and Democrats look to be making a serious effort with Sac and Fox tribal executive Christina Blackcloud-Garcia. She got the whole House Democrats rollout treatment... and then she got a primary opponent. Nathan Wrage of Gladbrook is a school custodian and county conservation board member.
This area has seen close contests; Horbach won his first term by nine (!) votes over Democrat Bill Brand in 1998.
Campaign finance reports: Dean Fisher for House 2012
Original post 6/13/2011 Statewide Map: Front | Back (with City Insets) | Old Senate, House
Registration: D 12349, R 13045, N 16292, total 41708, R +696
Incumbent: Steve Sodders, D-State Center; contested Republican primary, comeback attempt
Republicans have recruited a top-tier challenger for Steve Sodders: his predecessor.
Former three-term senator and one time congressional candidate Larry McKibben is challenging Sodders. Another Republican was already in the race when McKibben announced: two-time House loser Jane Jech. But she wasn't dissuaded so they'll settle things in the primary.
Marshall County makes up two-thirds of this seat. The old district had all of Hardin County and the tiny piece of Ackley in Franklin County. The district moves east to take in all of Tama County and a small piece of southern Black Hawk.
Sodders won by more than 3,000 votes when McKibben retired in Democratic wave year 2008. The new lines will help him in 2012, as he sheds 1500 Republicans and this becomes a true swing seat. Sodders, a deputy sheriff, has cut a moderate image and is recently raffling off guns as a fund raiser.
Finance reports were due before McKibben joined the race. Sodders for State Senate had a big money lead: $26,630 in cash on hand compared to $784 for Jane Jech for Iowa Senate.
House District 71
Registration: D 6233, R 6070, N 7551, total 19863, D +163
Incumbent: Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown
The District Draws Itself: With a census population of 27,552, Marshalltown is 90.4% of ideal district size. Even the rural part stays almost the same, adding one township and keeping the communities of Albion and Liscomb.
Democrat Mark Smith is the beneficiary of this geopolitical and numeric serendipity, and of course the partisan balance barely changes. This remains a swing seat, as it's been for years (one upside of the district Draws Itself is comparisons across decades are possible). There was a 58 vote race here in 1992, and Smith won the seat in 2000 by knocking off three term Republican Beverly Nelson-Forbes by just 275. He settled in to the point where he was unopposed in 2004 and 2006, and beat Republican Jane Jech by more than 1700 in 2008. But in a rematch with Jech against the 2010 GOP wave, Smith survived by just a 303 vote margin.
With Jech in the Senate race, Republicans have turned to farmer and ex-school board member Allen Burt for the House race.
Campaign finance reports: Mark Smith for Iowa House
House District 72
Registration: D 6116, R 6975, N 8741, total 21845, R +859
Open seat; Lance Horbach, R-Tama, not seeking re-election. Contested Democratic primary
Horbach announced his retirement before The Map was even released. Republican Dean Fisher of Garwin will try to hold a seat that's significantly less Republican. The old Tama-Grundy seat had a GOP registration edge of almost 2500, and Horbach had gradually settled into the comfort of uncontested races. This decade Tama County gets sent west to pick up all of Marshall County south and west of Marshalltown. It also adds two rural Black Hawk County townships and La Porte City.
This shifts the district into the swing seat zone, and Democrats look to be making a serious effort with Sac and Fox tribal executive Christina Blackcloud-Garcia. She got the whole House Democrats rollout treatment... and then she got a primary opponent. Nathan Wrage of Gladbrook is a school custodian and county conservation board member.
This area has seen close contests; Horbach won his first term by nine (!) votes over Democrat Bill Brand in 1998.
Campaign finance reports: Dean Fisher for House 2012
Original post 6/13/2011 Statewide Map: Front | Back (with City Insets) | Old Senate, House
Thursday, February 02, 2012
McKibben Makes Comeback
Dem Bruner announces in Senate 26
Republicans just picked up as high profile a challenger as they can get for Democratic Sen. Steve Sodders of Marshalltown: his predecessor.
Former three-term senator and one time congressional candidate Larry McKibben announced this week against Sodders in Senate District 36. There was already a Republican in the race, two-time House loser Jane Jech, but she's a Some Dude compared to McKibben.
But Sodders still has an edge here: the deputy sheriff has cut a moderate image and is currently raffling off guns as a fund raiser. And the new district has a better partisan margin (Map Day: R+ 264) than the one he took over from McKibben, who retired in 2008 after a near-loss (51%) in the good GOP cycle of 2004. The new seat keeps the mutual McKibben-Sodders base of Marshall County, which is 2/3 of the turf. It sheds Hardin County and moves east to take in all of Tama County and a small piece of southern Black Hawk.
Look for this race to quickly jump to the top of the charts in the all-important battle for the Senate, right below Mike Gronstal and Tom Rielly.
Also announcing: Democrat Mary Bruner of Carroll in open Senate District 6, where Republican Steve Kettering is standing down after a decade. This sprawling seat has four whole counties -- Buena Vista, Sac, Carroll and Audubon -- along with eastern Crawford. Republicans had a Map Day registration edge of 2187, but no GOP names are on my radar. That said, I'm not the greatest expert on Republican internal politics in western Iowa.
Update from yesterday: It'll be 26 Senate races after all. Retiring Democrat Jack Kibbie is "resigning" the end of his term, which expires this year anyway. This lets Republican David Johnson hold over until 2014 in new District 1. Likewise (quid pro quo, Clarice?) Republican Pat Ward vacated her seat after all, letting Democrat Matt McCoy hold over till 2014. Ward is moving one district to the west, where she has a primary challenge from minister Jeff Mullen. Mullen has out-fundraised Ward, and Democrat Desmund Adams has outraised both.
But in the Davenport-Muscatine Senate 46, both incumbent Republicans Shawn Hamerlinck and Jim Hahn are staying put for a fratricidal primary. The winner will face Muscatine Democrat Chris Brase.
Republicans just picked up as high profile a challenger as they can get for Democratic Sen. Steve Sodders of Marshalltown: his predecessor.
Former three-term senator and one time congressional candidate Larry McKibben announced this week against Sodders in Senate District 36. There was already a Republican in the race, two-time House loser Jane Jech, but she's a Some Dude compared to McKibben.
But Sodders still has an edge here: the deputy sheriff has cut a moderate image and is currently raffling off guns as a fund raiser. And the new district has a better partisan margin (Map Day: R+ 264) than the one he took over from McKibben, who retired in 2008 after a near-loss (51%) in the good GOP cycle of 2004. The new seat keeps the mutual McKibben-Sodders base of Marshall County, which is 2/3 of the turf. It sheds Hardin County and moves east to take in all of Tama County and a small piece of southern Black Hawk.
Look for this race to quickly jump to the top of the charts in the all-important battle for the Senate, right below Mike Gronstal and Tom Rielly.
Also announcing: Democrat Mary Bruner of Carroll in open Senate District 6, where Republican Steve Kettering is standing down after a decade. This sprawling seat has four whole counties -- Buena Vista, Sac, Carroll and Audubon -- along with eastern Crawford. Republicans had a Map Day registration edge of 2187, but no GOP names are on my radar. That said, I'm not the greatest expert on Republican internal politics in western Iowa.
Update from yesterday: It'll be 26 Senate races after all. Retiring Democrat Jack Kibbie is "resigning" the end of his term, which expires this year anyway. This lets Republican David Johnson hold over until 2014 in new District 1. Likewise (quid pro quo, Clarice?) Republican Pat Ward vacated her seat after all, letting Democrat Matt McCoy hold over till 2014. Ward is moving one district to the west, where she has a primary challenge from minister Jeff Mullen. Mullen has out-fundraised Ward, and Democrat Desmund Adams has outraised both.
But in the Davenport-Muscatine Senate 46, both incumbent Republicans Shawn Hamerlinck and Jim Hahn are staying put for a fratricidal primary. The winner will face Muscatine Democrat Chris Brase.
Monday, June 13, 2011
District of the Day: Senate District 36, House Districts 71 and 72
District of the Day: Senate District 36, House Districts 71 and 72
Senate District 36
Registration: D 12112, R 12376, N 14570, total 39075, R+ 264
Incumbent: Steve Sodders, D-State Center
Sodders keeps all of his home base, Marshall County, which makes up two-thirds of this seat. The old district had all of Hardin County and the tiny piece of Ackley in Franklin County. The district moves east to take in all of Tama County and a small piece of southern Black Hawk.
Sodders took a Republican-leaning seat from the GOP in 2008 when Larry McKibben retired, winning by more than 3,000 votes. 2008 was a Democratic wave, of course, and Sodders was fortunate not to be on the ballot in 2010. The new lines will help him in 2012, as he sheds 1500 Republicans and this becomes a true swing seat.
House District 71
Registration: D 5988, R 5687, N 6553, total 18234, D+ 301
Incumbent: Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown
The District Draws Itself: With a census population of 27,552, Marshalltown is 90.4% of ideal district size. Even the rural part stays almost the same, adding one township and keeping the communities of Albion and Liscomb.
Democrat Mark Smith is the beneficiary of this geopolitical and numeric serendipity, and of course the partisan balance barely changes. This remains a swing seat, as it's been for years (one upside of The District Draws Itself is comparisons across decades are possible). There was a 58 vote race here in 1992, and Smith won the seat in 2000 by knocking off three term Republican Beverly Nelson-Forbes by just 275. He settled in to the point where he was unopposed in 2004 and 2006, and beat Republican Jane Jech by more than 1700 in 2008. But in a rematch with Jech against the 2010 GOP wave, Smith survived by just a 303 vote margin.
House District 72
Registration: D 6124, R 6689, N 8017, total 20841, R+ 565
Open seat; incumbent: Lance Horbach, R-Tama, not seeking re-election
Tama County has been the core of a district for a few maps, but always seems to get partnered toward a different compass point. Horbach won his first term by nine (!) votes over Democrat Bill Brand in 1998. (If I remember right, election night had Horbach ahead by two.) That district ran east into Benton County. Four years later, Horbach's turf shifted northwest as the district gained all of Grundy (and lost the southeast corner of Tama County around Chelsea). This decade Tama County is whole again, but gets sent west to pick up all of Marshall County south and west of Marshalltown. (This probably means a Tama-Poweshiek district in 2021 since every other direction has been done.) It also adds what looks like the leftovers of Black Hawk County: two rural townships and La Porte City. "The long skinny shape of Big Creek Township gives this district a little panhandle, which I like," said redistricting consultant Jerry Mandering.
What this district won't have is Horbach, who announced before The Map was even released that he's not running in 2012. Whoever does run will get a district that's significantly less Republican. The old Tama-Grundy seat had a GOP registration edge of almost 2500, and Horbach had gradually settled into the comfort of uncontested races. This new district has a Republican registration margin of just 565.
New Map | New Map (Insets) | Old Map
Senate District 36Registration: D 12112, R 12376, N 14570, total 39075, R+ 264
Incumbent: Steve Sodders, D-State Center
Sodders keeps all of his home base, Marshall County, which makes up two-thirds of this seat. The old district had all of Hardin County and the tiny piece of Ackley in Franklin County. The district moves east to take in all of Tama County and a small piece of southern Black Hawk.
Sodders took a Republican-leaning seat from the GOP in 2008 when Larry McKibben retired, winning by more than 3,000 votes. 2008 was a Democratic wave, of course, and Sodders was fortunate not to be on the ballot in 2010. The new lines will help him in 2012, as he sheds 1500 Republicans and this becomes a true swing seat.
House District 71
Registration: D 5988, R 5687, N 6553, total 18234, D+ 301
Incumbent: Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown
The District Draws Itself: With a census population of 27,552, Marshalltown is 90.4% of ideal district size. Even the rural part stays almost the same, adding one township and keeping the communities of Albion and Liscomb.
Democrat Mark Smith is the beneficiary of this geopolitical and numeric serendipity, and of course the partisan balance barely changes. This remains a swing seat, as it's been for years (one upside of The District Draws Itself is comparisons across decades are possible). There was a 58 vote race here in 1992, and Smith won the seat in 2000 by knocking off three term Republican Beverly Nelson-Forbes by just 275. He settled in to the point where he was unopposed in 2004 and 2006, and beat Republican Jane Jech by more than 1700 in 2008. But in a rematch with Jech against the 2010 GOP wave, Smith survived by just a 303 vote margin.
House District 72
Registration: D 6124, R 6689, N 8017, total 20841, R+ 565
Open seat; incumbent: Lance Horbach, R-Tama, not seeking re-election
Tama County has been the core of a district for a few maps, but always seems to get partnered toward a different compass point. Horbach won his first term by nine (!) votes over Democrat Bill Brand in 1998. (If I remember right, election night had Horbach ahead by two.) That district ran east into Benton County. Four years later, Horbach's turf shifted northwest as the district gained all of Grundy (and lost the southeast corner of Tama County around Chelsea). This decade Tama County is whole again, but gets sent west to pick up all of Marshall County south and west of Marshalltown. (This probably means a Tama-Poweshiek district in 2021 since every other direction has been done.) It also adds what looks like the leftovers of Black Hawk County: two rural townships and La Porte City. "The long skinny shape of Big Creek Township gives this district a little panhandle, which I like," said redistricting consultant Jerry Mandering.What this district won't have is Horbach, who announced before The Map was even released that he's not running in 2012. Whoever does run will get a district that's significantly less Republican. The old Tama-Grundy seat had a GOP registration edge of almost 2500, and Horbach had gradually settled into the comfort of uncontested races. This new district has a Republican registration margin of just 565.
New Map | New Map (Insets) | Old Map
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