EVERYONE IS RUNNING FOR EVERYTHING IN IOWA IN 2018

[Skidmore]

https://iowastartingline.com/2017/07/17/everyone-is-running-for-everything-in-2018/

Just as reliably as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, not a week goes by in Iowa politics without a new candidate running for this or that major office. Iowa Democrats have about 22 declared or strongly-considering candidates for governor and the three Republican-held congressional districts. The field for every race has continued to grow this summer, though we may be finally nearing the end of the announcement phase.

It’s an interesting parallel to the huge, 17-candidate Republican presidential primary field in 2016. Out of power for a while now, there’s fewer influential power-brokers or individual factions that can narrow the field behind the scenes. There’s also simply a greater desire to run for office in reaction to the all-Republican government in Iowa and the national level, as well as a sense that 2018 could be a good year for Democrats if Trump’s legislation and personal missteps cause an electoral backlash.

Starting Line thought it would be helpful to put together a full list of everyone who has declared their candidacy, is in the exploratory phase, or who is strongly considering it. I’ll update this post best I can as situations change.

And on a side note: It has become challenging to cover this many candidates. Typically I do a profile piece on most of the major contenders for key offices, rolled out as they announce. Those posts take a lot of time as I try to take extra care with a story that describes in-depth a person’s life story. It’s been difficult to get those done and also cover events and breaking Iowa news – those stories may be shorter now and I’m making tough decisions on who to cover. Things should get easier once the announcement phase of 2018 is finished....more