Democrats choose Running-Marquardt in HD33

CEDAR RAPIDS — After hours of debate and voting Wednesday night, Democratic central committee members in Iowa House District 33 chose Kirsten Running-Marquardt as their candidate in the special election scheduled for Nov. 24.

Kirsten Running-Marquardt received congratulations from Rep. Dick Taylor after she was selected late Wednesday night by Cedar Rapids precinct representatives as the Democratic candidate in the special election for Iowa House District 33. The election was called earlier this month following Taylor's announced resignation from the post.

Although no votes were cast in the actual contest between potential candidates Running-Marquardt, 32, and Norm Sterzenbach, Sr. until nearly 11 p.m., the process for local Democrats began at 7 p.m. during a meeting of the local central committee. Members of that group, comprised of two representatives per county precinct, debated and decided to fill vacant seats both within the 11 House Districts included in District 33 and in other parts of the county. Those who wished to be elected to fill vacant seats were allowed to briefly address those in attendance, and many volunteered what their voting preference would be in the subsequent special nominating convention, which was ran by members of the Iowa House Caucus staff.

“I want to thank the Linn County Democratic Central Committee for their support and for making this a fair process,” Running-Marquardt told The Iowa Independent following the nominating convention. “I also want to express my respect for Norm Sterzenbach, Sr. I’m very excited and looking forward to the future.”

While this is the first time Running-Marquardt has personally sought public office, she is hardly a stranger to Iowa politics. The daughter of former state Rep. Rich Running, she most recently worked in U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack’s office and previously worked for Iowa for Health Care, a project of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

It is anticipated that a Republican nominee for the special election will be determined tonight when Republican representatives from the 11 Cedar Rapids precincts within House District 33 hold their own nominating convention.

The special election became necessary when Rep. Dick Taylor, a Democrat, announced his resignation earlier this month. He was given a standing by Democratic activists twice Wednesday night.

“Dick Taylor has done an excellent job of representing this district,” Pat Murphy, Speaker of the Iowa House and Dubuque Democrat, said following the convention. “We think we have a good candidate in Kirsten Running-Marquardt. In fact, we had two really good candidates tonight. So, I really feel positive about our ability to keep this seat regardless of who the Republicans get to run, if they get someone.”

The Democratic strategy, according to Murphy, is no secret and will closely follow past practices that have met with success.

“We are going to go after this like we have the other election, and we are going to do a heavy absentee ballot campaign just like we did in Fairfield and in the general elections,” Murphy said, referencing the party’s most recent success in the House District 90 special election. “We are going to keep a heavy focus talking about the issues that we think are important to Iowans, which are creating jobs, balancing the state budget, focusing on what we can do to expand health care at the state level and move forward in those areas.”