As the Democratic primary for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District heats up, more candidates are rolling out new lists of endorsements in the seven-way field. Cindy Axne, a small business owner and community activist, announced this week the backing of over 40 community leaders in her bid to take on Republican incumbent David Young in the Des Moines-based district.
“I’m humbled to release a diverse list of personal endorsements from individuals who are making a difference in Iowans’ lives,” Axne said in a statement. “Our campaign is focused on the issues that matter most to Iowa families, like our healthcare system, environment and bringing good jobs back to Iowa.”
Quite a few well-known Democratic and local names show up on Axne’s list, including Raygun’s Mike Draper, NAMI’s Peggy Huppert, Johnston City Councilwoman Rhonda Martin, Kerry Bowen, Chief Deputy Attorney General Eric Tabor and Dallas County Democrats Chair Art Behn.
Axne also has a long history of activism in West Des Moines, once leading an effort to expand pre-kindergarten to all children in the Des Moines suburb. That seems to have help brought the backing of many notable West Des Moines leaders, including recently-elected Councilwoman Renee Hardman, Loretta Sieman, former school superintendent Tom Narak and Alicia Claypool. The Democratic-trending suburb should contribute a large share of the vote in the 3rd District primary, so having a strong base of support from local leaders should be particularly helpful.
Here’s the full list:
Eric Tabor, Chief Deputy Attorney General
Renee Hardman, City Councilwoman, West Des Moines
Dr. Robert Shaw, Board member, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland
Peggy Huppert, Executive Director, The National Alliance on Mental Illness – Iowa
Loretta Sieman, Former City Councilwoman, City of West Des Moines
Donna Crum, Chair, Mills County Democrats
Ralph Rosenberg, Former State Senator, State House Representative, and Former Executive Director, Iowa Environmental Council
Reyma McCoy McDeid, Chair Grey Area Democrats
Louis Lavorato, Former Justice, Iowa Supreme Court
Dale Cochran, Former Secretary of Agriculture, Iowa
China Wong, 2017 Woman Business Owner of the Year – Salon W
Rhonda Martin, City Councilwoman, City of Johnston
Alicia Claypool, Former Chairperson, Iowa Civil Rights Commission and Co-Founder of Iowa Safe Schools
Patricia Higby, Board Member, Iowa Wind Energy Association
Mary LaHay, President, Iowa Friends of Companion Animals
Doctor Mary Mincer Hansen, Former Director, Iowa Department of Public Health
Mike Draper, Business Owner, RayGun
Jackie Wellman, Community Activist, West Des Moines
Mike Matson, Alderman, City of Davenport
Tom Narak, Retired Superintendent, West Des Moines Public School System
Rachel Scott, Former Administrator, Iowa Commission on the Status of Women
Kerry Bowen, Chair, Windsor Heights Democrats
Roz Lehman, Former Director, Iowa Rivers Revival
Marcia Wanamaker, 3rd Vice Chair, Dallas County Democrats
Ruth Thompson, Vice-Chair, Iowa Democratic Party Disability Caucus
Julie and Alan Feirer, Community Activists, Madison County
Lynn Graves, Founding Member of the United Way of Central Iowa Women’s Leadership Initiative
Art Behn, Treasurer, Dallas County Democrats
Devin Kelly, Chair, Iowa Democratic Party Stonewall Caucus
Doctor Yogesh Shah, Director, Palliative Care Services at Broadlawns Medical Center
Susan Webster, Community Activist and Precinct Captain, Des Moines
Joleen Jansen, District Program Coordinator, Clayton County Clean Energy
Dylan Funk, Vice-Chair, Iowa Democratic Party Progressive Caucus
Dian Curran, Vice-Chair, Iowa Democratic Party Native American Caucus
Kathy Collins, Former Attorney for Iowa Department of Education and School Administrators of Iowa
Paul Danforth, Clinical Social Worker and Community Leader
Cornelia Mutel, Ecologist, and Environmental Author
Vickee Adams, Former Chair, Dallas County Democrats
Rebecca Boyd Dublinske, Board Member, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland
Alice Hodde, Treasurer Fremont County Democrats
Patricia Boddy, Former Deputy Director at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Timothy Kacena, Iowa House of Representative District 14
by Pat Rynard
Posted 1/5/18