Primary election is Tuesday

    Washington County voters will head to the polls Tuesday to vote in the 2010 primary election. The primary election is when voters select the candidates from either the Republican or Democratic parties to represent that party in the general election in November. The primary races that will be decided Tuesday range from local county supervisor contests to nominating candidates for national office in the U.S. House and Senate.

    The Democrats have only one contested primary race this year, and that is for the U.S. Senate. Thomas L. Fiegen, Bob Krause and Roxanne Conlin are the Democrats who are trying to win a Senate seat the Democrats have not held since 1980 when it was occupied by John Culver, the father of Iowa?s current governor Chet Culver. The incumbent Republican Chuck Grassley is seeking his sixth term in office and is running unopposed in his party.

    The Republicans have a number of contested primary races. In Washington County?s third district, incumbent County Supervisor Steve Davis of Crawfordsville is challenged by John Hahn and Bill Walker, both of Wayland. Rodney Stogdill of Wayland is the lone Democrat to run. Washington County?s third district runs along the eastern edge of the county and includes Crawfordsville, Ainsworth and Riverside.    

    Republican County Supervisor Jim Rosien of Washington is running for re-election in the county?s fifth district against Republican Ron Bennett, also of Washington. The fifth district includes the southern half of the city of Washington. Democrat Linda Brown of Washington entered the race but dropped out in late May, citing a conflict of interest owing to the fact that she had just accepted a position in the USDA office in Washington and that governmental employees cannot run for partisan office. Her name will still appear on the ballot because she did not withdraw her name before the deadline to do so.   

    Democratic State Representative Larry Marek of Riverside represents Iowa?s 89th district and is running for re-election unopposed in his party. Jarad Klein of Keota and Chris Canny of Wellman will face off in the Republican primary for Marek?s seat. The 89th district is all of Washington County and parts of Jefferson and Johnson Counties.

    Three Republicans will duke it out for the District 45 state Senate seat held by Democrat Becky Schmitz of Fairfield. Sandra Greiner of Keota, Rick Marlar of Wayland and Randy Besick of Keosauqua are all vying to represent the Republican Party in November. The 45th district contains Washington, Jefferson, and Van Buren counties and parts of Wapello and Johnson counties.

For more, see our June 4 print edition.