Hora wins State House race in landslide

Heather Hora won the GOP House District 92 primary in a 1495-840 tally against Jaron Rosien Tuesday night, with results from both Washington County and parts of Johnson County.

Hora said she celebrated the win with her family as results came in.

“They’ve all worked hard knocking doors and making calls and making this happen,” she said. “Everybody’s really excited that this all paid off.”

The farmer, mother and devout Republican campaigned on conservatism every step of the way, as a self-proclaimed product of the Reagan era she grew up in. While she has no experience in public office and lost by nearly 10 points in a 2018 state senate election, Hora’s endorsement from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and promise of a party-loyal voice for farmers struck a chord with the historically right-leaning, rural community.

“I appreciate the votes from everybody and look forward to serving the residents of District 92 with a pro-family, pro-parent, pro-taxpayer agenda with Gov. Kim Reynolds,” Hora said. “I really appreciate all of the people that came out and helped us in this last month of campaigning.”

Jaron Rosien said he accepted the result.

“I’d like to thank my donors, my volunteers, and all of those individuals that voted for me,” he said. “I believe like so many that I am a good fit for this district, but I respect that I am not a good fit for where some in the Republican primary want to go … congratulations to Heather, I wish her well, my hope is that she listens to the constituents of this district.”

For many, the race was a litmus test of the local Republican Party’s tolerance for variation. Rosien himself said he was not a typical Republican candidate, a stark contrast from Hora’s pitch as a “conservative’s conservative,” in her words.

“I believe that I am a voice of reason and common sense, I am a future-minded Republican, a big-picture Republican, I don’t fit perfectly within the party,” Rosien said at a candidate forum in Washington. “There should be room for more than one cookie-cutter staunch conservative within our party.”

Hora goes on to the general election where she will face a yet unnamed Democrat. While Ty Bopp was on the party’s primary ballot Tuesday night, party organizers say he withdrew from the election, meaning the November candidate will be picked by party delegates.

Hora has said she expects to win that race handily, regardless of her opponent.

“When I ran for the senate, we had Tiffin and North Liberty, and a high population of Democrats, we knew it was going to be an uphill battle,” she said in an interview in May. “This is a fresh district and we just don’t have those battles, it’s a much more rural district than what we ran before … I believe 100% that it’s going to be a Republican, it’s just a matter of which.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com