Legislative clerk Blaine Watkins will be the Republican candidate for the March 11 special election in Iowa House district 100, covering most of Lee County. Three other Republicans also competed for the nomination at a February 13 special convention. Watkins easily won with more than 70 percent of the delegates’ weighted votes on the first ballot.
Chuck Vandenberg reported for the Pen City Current that Watkins “told the convention that he had three issues he wanted to tackle right away, if elected”: property taxes, school choice and parental rights, and economic growth and jobs.
According to his LinkedIn page, Watkins graduated from Grand View University in December 2024, having majored in political science with a minor in business. He has clerked in the Iowa Senate for the past five years—first for former State Senator Craig Williams in 2021 and 2022, then for State Senator Jeff Reichman (who represents this part of southeast Iowa) since the 2023 session.
Watkins continues a trend of Republican legislative candidates who previously worked as clerks for Iowa GOP lawmakers. The most recent example was David Blom, the successful 2024 GOP challenger in House district 52, covering the Marshalltown area. Candidates with clerking experience are already steeped in the culture of the Golden Dome and will likely be reliable votes for leadership.
That could be particularly valuable for top Republicans in the Iowa House, where dissenting caucus members have blocked passage of some bills, such as Governor Kim Reynolds’ school voucher plan in 2021 and 2022, and more recently the effort to give legal immunity to pesticide manufacturers in 2024. House Republicans have successfully advocated for changes to other high-profile bills, including last year’s overhaul of Area Education Agencies. In contrast, the Iowa Senate GOP caucus votes more often along straight party lines and typically supports the governor’s position on controversial issues.
Watkins will face Democrat Nannette Griffin, who was unopposed at a February 13 nominating convention. When I reached her by phone on February 15, she was heading out soon to knock doors. Democrats hope to replicate Mike Zimmer’s playbook from last month’s special election in Iowa Senate district 35. Like Zimmer, Griffin is a lifelong resident of the area who is an active volunteer as well as a small business owner.
The Lee County GOP committee is recruiting volunteers to canvass. The Pen City Current quoted Watkins as saying, “We want to get everyone out. We want to knock out every town and every home we possibly can. We have a lot of good groups, AFP (Americans For Prosperity) and a lot of different people who want to be involved. And I think they’re going to have the people who can help us.”
Watkins will argue he shares the values of State Representative Martin Graber, whose unexpected passing created the vacancy in this district. That could be a winning message in an area where voters elected Graber three times, and favored Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election by 62.2 percent to 35.4 percent for Kamala Harris, according to Bleeding Heartland’s analysis of precinct-level results.
A February 15 fundraising email from Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst previewed some Democratic talking points for this short campaign. She contrasted Griffin’s local involvement and hard work with Watkins, who “has had no job experience other than scheduling meetings for his GOP leaders.” Referencing the Republican nominee’s shout-out to the conservative dark money group Americans for Prosperity, she characterized Watkins as a “bought and paid for GOP pawn” who “will do whatever they want, no questions asked.”
Residents who want to vote by mail must get their absentee ballot request form to the Lee County auditor’s office by 5:00 pm on Monday, February 24. Mailed ballots must arrive at the auditor’s office by 8:00 pm on Tuesday, March 11. Early in-person voting will be available at several locations, starting on March 3. For details on where to vote early or on the day of the special election, see the Pen City Current article.
Full text of February 15 fundraising email from Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst (all sections in bold were emphasized in the original):
Hi Laura,
On Thursday night, the Lee County Republicans officially nominated their candidate for the upcoming HD 100 special election and I’ve got to tell you: their disinterest in actually representing people is becoming a little too obvious. Allow me to explain:
Their candidate for this seat is a clerk for the current sitting state Senator in the area, who has had no job experience other than scheduling meetings for his GOP leaders. He is currently registered to vote at his parents’ house in the district but works every week at the capitol in Des Moines. Additionally, he has already credited extreme far right groups for his candidacy – including Americans for Prosperity, the infamous dark money organization that is founded and funded by the billionaire Koch Brothers.
I mean…come on. This isn’t about representing the hard working people of SE Iowa! If it was, they would have selected a candidate with real experience in the working world, a candidate who pays their own bills and understands property taxes, a candidate who can be trusted to know what families, small businesses, and workers are going through – let alone be trusted to write laws for them.
But that’s not what this is about – this is about buying and paying for another GOP pawn who will do whatever they want, no questions asked.
We don’t need another bought and paid for GOP pawn at the state house. We need Nannette – a small business owner, local leader, honest and hardworking member of the Lee County community who will stand up for working folks.
There is no question – Lee County deserves better than this. It’s time for us to deliver a real representative for the hardworking families of SE Iowa.
Together toward progress,
Jennifer Konfrst
Map of House district 100:
Top photo of Blaine Watkins posted on the Lee County Republican Party of Iowa Facebook page following the February 13 nominating convention.