A third Democrat joined the race for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat on July 29. Dr. Glenn Hurst made clear that one issue in particular is driving his campaign.

“I went back to school and became a doctor because I saw a need in the rural communities I love and call home,” Hurst said in a news release. “I’ve had a front-row seat to the tricks insurance companies use to avoid paying for care, drowning providers in paperwork when we should be with our patients. I’m running for the U.S. Senate because Iowans deserve better. We deserve Medicare for All.”

Hurst introduced his campaign on Twitter using the #BoldProgressive and #MedicareForAll hashtags.

I am a #RuralDoctor, #BoldProgressive who believes in #MedicareForAll – and today, I’m excited to announce my candidacy for #IASenate against @ChuckGrassley. pic.twitter.com/8au7rUVOOK

— Glenn Hurst (@DrGlennHurst) July 29, 2021

His launch video emphasizes his work as a family physician in rural areas as well as his leadership of the Iowa Democratic Party’s Rural Caucus.

My transcript:

Hurst, to camera: I’ve spent my adult life caring for people. At 32, when a friend of mine was having trouble caring for her son, I became a foster parent and provided stability for my son.

At the same time, I realized our rural community’s biggest need was doctors. So I went back to college and graduated from medical school.

When it came time to pick where to practice medicine, I bet on rural Iowa. And when COVID hit, that’s when I took my medical education to the level of advocacy for all Iowans.

CNN journalist: Dr. Glenn Hurst is a family medicine physician who has a health clinic in western Iowa, and he’s also chair of the Iowa Democratic Party Rural Caucus.

Hurst, on CNN: We’re seeing our hospital beds having extended lengths of stay for COVID positive patients, compared to other forms of pneumonia.

Yahoo finance journalist: Joining us now to discuss is Dr. Glenn Hurst. He’s the vice chair of the Iowa Democrats’ Rural Caucus.

Hurst, on Yahoo finance: So I think rural health care is a primary issue for voters in Iowa, in rural Iowa. We struggle with not just access to insurance products. We’re struggling with access to a physician, a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner. Our hospitals are closing, our nursing homes are closing. So it is a paramount issu.

Journalist: Dr. Glenn Hurst, thank you so much.

I’m Glenn Hurst. I’m a father, a doctor, an Iowan. And I’m running for the U.S. Senate because Iowa deserves a healthy future.

I’m Glenn Hurst, and I approved this message.

Hurst was a featured speaker at a July 24 rally outside the state capitol to support Medicare for All. He recently published a book about his political activism called Where Your Hands Are: Memoir of an Indivisible. He is also an occasional Bleeding Heartland guest author who has called for Democrats to focus more on down-ballot races and “unabashedly” espouse Democratic values instead of “running to the middle.“

During the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurst warned on this website about the threat posed to vulnerable Iowans in nursing homes. To date, nearly 40 percent of the Iowans who died of COVID-19 (at least 2,429 individuals) had been living in nursing homes, according to federal government data Sara Anne Willette compiled.

Former Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer, the first Democrat to launch a 2022 Senate campaign, describes himself as an “old-school, farming, labor Democrat.”

Former U.S. Representative Abby Finkenauer joined the Senate field last week, touting her commitment to public service and working families.

At least one other Democrat is seriously considering this race: retired Admiral Mike Franken, the runner up in the 2020 Senate primary.

---

Full text of July 29 news release:

MINDEN, Iowa, July 29, 2021—Today Dr. Glenn Hurst of Minden, Iowa announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Hurst, a physician and health administrator in Pottawattamie County, cites the impact of healthcare on his community as a driving force behind his run. 

“I went back to school and became a doctor because I saw a need in the rural communities I love and call home,” said Hurst. “I’ve had a front-row seat to the tricks insurance companies use to avoid paying for care, drowning providers in paperwork when we should be with our patients. I’m running for the U.S. Senate because Iowans deserve better. We deserve Medicare for All.” 

Hurst provides care and oversees clinics in his hometown of Minden, Iowa and the surrounding Pottawattamie County area. He is a leader in the Iowa Democratic Party as Chair of the Rural Caucus, a Minden City Councilman and Chair of the Third Congressional District Central Committee where he worked tirelessly on the successful re-election of Congresswoman Cindy Axne.

A founding member of the Indivisible movement in Iowa and Nebraska, Hurst has actively organized in rural Iowa to advocate for Medicare for All, to fight for a living wage for all Iowans and to support labor unions by rallying against collective bargaining limitations. 

Born on a U.S. military base, Hurst  moved with his family until they settled in the rural Midwest. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha and graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center as a Medical Doctor in 2006. Hurst is committed to fighting for Medicare for All, reinvesting in rural communities, and solving today’s problem with the jobs of tomorrow.