Photo credit: Anita Morrill
(Des Moines, IA) Rod Blum and Mariannette Miller-Meeks won their Republican Congressional primaries, but the Iowa 3rd Congressional District Republican nominee will have to be decided at a special district nominating convention as no candidate reached the 35% threshold needed to win outright.
Blum finished with 54.9% of the vote in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District Republican Primary. Steve Rathje followed with 37.1% and Gail Boliver finished with 7.8%.
Blum will face State Representative Pat Murphy (D-Dubuque) who won the Democratic primary with 36.7% edging out four other candidates and avoiding a convention decision.
Miller-Meeks had a slightly closer race in the Iowa 2nd Congressional District primary. Miller-Meeks finished with 49.4% of the vote, State Representative Mark Lofgren (R-Muscatine) finished with 38.2%, and Matthew Waldren 12.3%.
Miller-Meeks will again face Congressman Dave Loebsack in November.
State Senator Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale) leads the field of six candidates in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District primary, but failed to reach the 35% threshold needed to avoid a convention decision. Zaun finished with 24.6% of the vote, Robert Cramer was a close second with 21.2%, Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz was a close 3rd with 20.1%, Monte Shaw had 16.9%, David Young finished with 15.6%, and Joe Grandanette received 1.6%.
Iowa GOP Chair Danny Carroll announced early this morning that the 3rd Congressional District Special Nomination Convention will be held on June 21 at Creston High School in Creston, IA at 10:00a. The 513 delegates who will represent the 3rd District at the State Convention on June 14th will reconvene one week later for this nominating convention.
The winner of the nominating convention will face former State Senator Staci Appel who was uncontested in the Democrat primary.
Zaun said he was still hopeful. He said he has a plan for the convention that will be announced by the Republican Party of Iowa soon.
Robert Cramer in a released statement said, “I am extremely grateful to the voters in the third district for going to the polls today and casting their ballots in this primary election. I would like to thank Brad Zaun, Matt Schultz, Monte Shaw, David Young and Joe Grandanette for running positive campaigns that focused on the failed policies of the Obama administration.”
“So many times we’ve had to choose between the business guy and the conservative. Between moral clarity and our children’s prosperity. But I said “and” is better. Although we did not reach the 35% mark required to avoid a convention, thousands of 3rd District Iowans agreed with me that ‘and’ is better. As a business man who has created jobs and a political outsider, I am the best equipped to beat Staci Appel in November,” Cramer added. “To defeat Barack Obama and his liberal agenda, Republicans need a different type of candidate. It is imperative we elect someone that is not a lobbyist, career politician or Washington insider. I have been successful in the real world and I am prepared to fight against Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama’s handpicked candidate Staci Appel. I look forward to visiting with the convention delegates and sharing with them our message that has resonated with so many primary voters.”
Monte Shaw said his campaign will start with a clean slate. “I want to express my deep appreciation to all of you who voted for me and to those who are working so hard on my behalf. We are going into this convention stronger and better-prepared than any of the other candidates. We are moving past the time when incumbency and personal wealth matters in nominating a candidate. Rather, the delegates will choose the most electable candidate, the one who is ready to stand up to the liberal attack machine. And the GOP candidate will be scrutinized,” Shaw said in a released statement. “I have stood for party office before three GOP district conventions and won them all. I fully expect to make it four-for-four and go on to lead a united GOP and defeat the liberal Democrat candidate in the fall.”
Schultz and Young did not release prepared statements. Congressman Steve King (R-IA) did not have a contested primary in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. He will face Jim Mowrer during the general election in November.
Update: Matt Schultz offered a statement on Facebook, “Zola and I would like to thank everyone who came out and supported our campaign last night. We knew this race would be a hard fought battle and that convention was a possibility. As an Eagle Scout, I was taught to always be prepared and we are prepared for convention! I look forward to talking to each delegate about my record as a proven conservative fighter. Thank you all for your support!”