Last night the GOP picked Dennis Litterer of Ionia as the Republican nominee for the January 22 special election to replace Brian Quirk, a New Hampton Democrat who resigned suddenly. Litterer is in the insurance business, grew up on a farm, and farmed on his own before taking up his current occupation.  He is reportedly a staunch conservative, and his views will begin to be examined in the next few weeks.  The Iowa Republican has more.

I am asking for help on behalf of every active Democrat in Floyd and Chickasaw Counties.  We are doing everything we can to keep this seat blue.  I am also asking on behalf of Iowa.  If we lose this seat, we are another step closer to being Wisconsin.  In the words of Mary Jo Wilhelm, who beat Merlin Bartz by a mere 120 votes, we cannot let that happen to Iowa. These two counties are part of Mary Jo's Senate District, and make up the majority of HD 52 (which also includes the three eastern precincts in Cerro Gordo).The more conservative counties to the north are not part of the House District, so there is a good chance to win.

Why should you help if you are not in HD 52?  An answer, below the fold.

Todd Prichard is a Democrat–a real Democrat, not a future charter member of the infamous “six-pack” of Democrats who voted with the Republicans in the House. His life experiences make him who he is:

• He is an advocate for educating our children who has young children of his own and serves on the board of The Learning Center, a community organization to help children succeed.
• He grew up poor, without access to health care, and understands what living without a safety net is like. This experience informs his commitment to growing economic opportunity and providing access to health care for all Iowans.
• He helps out on his wife's family farm, and is committed to supporting our agricultural economy and preserving the patrimony of our soil.     
• He is a veteran, and a member of the Iowa National Guard, who wants to help veterans return to their communities and succeed.
• He is a leader, who served with the 1/133 Infantry Battalion in Anbar Province during the surge, as a company commander, for 16 months, in addition to three other deployments abroad.
• He is a lawyer and part-time prosecutor, who sees the consequences of our societal failures in Floyd County courtrooms every week, and sees early childhood education and intervention as one of the answers.

This the kind of person I want in the Iowa legislature, to stand up to the worst excesses being proposed by Republicans, like attacks on teachers and welfare for the well-off, while trying to find some common ground to enact legislation that will help real people where they live. Having met him and listened to him at the convention, I would support him no matter which district he was running in. Please consider doing the same. His speech to the nominating convention is quoted in this diary.

The election is 33 days from today and there is a pressing need for cash and volunteers. Are you in a neighboring county and willing to call or door-knock?  (Cerro Gordo, Mitchell, Howard, Winneshiek, Fayette, Bremer, Butler, Franklin) Can you drop some bucks in the hat? Even small contributions add up, but large ones are super-helpful.

Prichard for Iowa. ActBlue.

 

If you can help, thank you. And even if you can't, best wishes for this holiday season.

2laneIA