Campaign Updates: Olson In, Hubbell Endorsers, Boulton Education Push

It’s been a busy couple of days for Iowa campaigns. Here’s a quick look at many of the new developments.

Tyler Olson Is Back On The Ballot

Former state representative and 2014 gubernatorial candidate Tyler Olson is running for an at-large Cedar Rapids City Council seat. He announced on Tuesday that he would seek the seat that incumbent Ralph Russell just decided to retire from. No one else is in the race yet, though candidates still have until late September to file for the November 7 election date.

Many who had seen Olson as a promising rising star in the party hoped he would run again for some office. He is currently the CEO of Paulsen Electric and president of SiteGen Solar, and has been heavily involved in clean energy projects since his departure from the legislature.

A New 4th District Candidate

Webster City bus driver Paul Dahl announced on Monday that he is running in the Democratic primary for the 4th District.

Dahl briefly ran for governor in 2014, but issues with his filing papers kept him off the ballot. He’s lived a number of places throughout the 4th District, including Ames, Eagle Grove, Fort Dodge, Pocahontas and more. He’ll need to prove himself in the early stages of his campaign against the more established candidacies of athlete J.D. Scholten of Sioux City and businesswoman Leann Jacobsen of Spencer. The last time Democrats saw a three-way primary to take on Steve King was in 2004 when Joyce Schulte won 4,902 votes in the primary to Gene Blanshan’s 3,117 and Sal Mohamed’s 1,513.

Nate Boulton Education Push And Firefighter Endorsement

It’s back-to-school time in Iowa and Senator Nate Boulton is using the week as a chance to highlight many different education issues in Iowa. He held a roundtable with college students at UNI, visited a preschool, campaigned with a young school board candidate, kicked off Hawkeyes for Boulton group at the University of Iowa and went by apprenticeship shops and communities colleges. He finishes the week by dropping by his old high school in Columbus Junction on Friday and holding an education roundtable in Council Bluffs on Saturday.

The Boulton campaign also announced their 24th labor endorsement of the year with the backing of the Iowa Professional Firefighters union. They represent about 1,600 firefighters around the state.

Fred Hubbell Lands Legislator Endorsements

The Hubbell campaign rolled out a solid list of current and former legislator backers this week. Six current state representatives were among the group, all endorsing the Des Moines businessman a week after their colleague Todd Prichard withdrew from the race. It’s also noteworthy that all the current legislators are women, including several who are staunch Planned Parenthood defenders (the Hubbells have been deeply involved in supporting Planned Parenthood for years). Former office-holders include 2014 gubernatorial nominee Jack Hatch, former majority leader Kevin McCarthy and Wayne Ford, who appeared in Hubbell’s announcement video.

Representative Cindy Winckler, Davenport
Representative Mary Mascher, Iowa City
Representative Helen Miller, Fort Dodge
Representative Ruth Ann Gaines, Des Moines
Representative Vicki Lensing, Iowa City
Representative Mary Wolfe, Clinton
Former Senate Majority Leader George Kinley, Des Moines
Former Senator Jack Hatch, Des Moines
Former Senator Staci Appel, Ackworth
Former Senator Frank Wood, Eldridge
Former Senator Dennis Black, Newton
Former House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Des Moines
Former Representative Wayne Ford, Des Moines
Former Representative Mike Reasoner, Creston
Former Representative Doris Kelly, Cedar Falls
Former Representative Sally Stutsman, Riverside
Former Representative Joe Riding, Altoona
Former Representative Deb Berry, Waterloo
Former Representative Jane Teaford, Cedar Falls

by Pat Rynard
Posted 8/23/17