The special election to replace Democratic state Rep. John Whitaker has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 1, 2009. Whitaker is resigning his seat because he has to in order to become Director of the Farm Service Administration in Iowa. Federal appointees are prohibited from holding state-level elected offices.

Two candidates have emerged for the seat: Democrat Curt Hanson, a teacher from Fairfield, and Republican Stephen Burgmeier, a Jefferson County supervisor.

Without an incumbent on the ballot, House District 90 could be very competitive. It includes all of Van Buren County and parts of both Jefferson and Wapello counties.