Congressman Steve King (R-IA) decided not to run for U.S. Senate. Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds took a pass. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said he wasn’t running. Matt Schultz just announced via Twitter this morning that he is not going to run for U.S. Senate, but instead run for re-election as Secretary of State.
I am humbled by all of the encouragement to run for Senate, but I love serving Iowans as Secretary of State… I intend to run for SOS
— Matt Schultz (@VoteMattSchultz) May 29, 2013
He sent an exclusive statement to The Iowa Republican yesterday which they published today.
Over the past few weeks I have been truly humbled by the encouragement I have received from Iowans to run for the U.S. Senate.
After many conversations with my family and friends about the U.S. Senate race, I keep coming back to the fact that I love serving Iowans as their Secretary of State.
In my first two years as Secretary of State we have worked to increase voter participation with our “Honor a Veteran” program and our partnership with Rock the Vote to encourage young people to vote through Rock Iowa. We have made it easier to start a business in Iowa by streamlining the filing process, and we used technology to make voting easier by creating apps that allow voters to find their polling place and track their absentee ballots right from their cell phones. We have also created an electronic poll book, “Express Voter”, to make voting easier on Election Day.
While I am proud of our achievements, there is more to accomplish. I will continue working to improve the business climate in Iowa and fighting for integrity in our elections. This is why I am going to run for re-election as Iowa’s Secretary of State.
Matt Whitaker is the only declared candidate on the Republican side. State Senator Joni Ernst is still considering a run. Iowa businessman Mark Jacobs, Former State Representative and Gubernatorial candidate Rod Roberts, Radio Talk Show Host Sam Clovis and Senator Grassley’s chief of staff, David Young, are considering running as well.
If Schultz had decided to run, he would have been a favorite to win the primary. It looks as though Republicans will have a very competitive primary to look forward to.