In a race that never garnered much attention, 4th District Democrats overwhelming chose Becky Greenwald, of Perry, to take on seven-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Latham this fall.

With 50.9 percent of the vote, Greenwald easily outpaced her three rivals for the nomination. Greenwald received 80 percent of the vote in Dallas County, where she serves as chair of the local Democratic Party, and 52 percent of the vote in Story County, the district’s most populous county. “My supporters are the reason I’m here,” Greenwald said in an interview with Iowa Independent. “They worked so hard for me, and they deserve all the credit.”

Greenwald received the endorsement of The Des Moines Register editorial board, which most believe was key in a race where name recognition was low for each of the candidates. She also received endorsements from high-profile Democrats like former Gov. Tom Vilsack, former 4th District Congressional nominee John Norris and nearly the entire Garst family.

Kurt Meyer, the candidate most believed could have challenged Greenwald in the race, faced several hurdles to the nomination. Meyer donated $100,000 to his own campaign, which is more than his opponents raised combined, but he never seemed to take advantage of having more funds available. According to filings with the Federal Elections Commission, Meyer’s campaign spent $90,639 to very little effect. The largest campaign expense, according to documents, was a poll his campaign paid for on April 14, which cost $13,300. Thousands of dollars were also spent on the salaries of five staffers.

Meyer also faced recent accusations that he was only a “part-time resident,” with opponents claiming he bought a home in the district to run for Congress while actually living in Minnesota.

The other candidates in the race, Kevin Miskell and William Meyers, had virtually no money and no staff, putting them at a considerable disadvantage.

Greenwald will now turn her attention to Latham. She said she will begin today with a trip to Marshalltown.

“I want to immediately get out on the campaign trail and hit the ground running,” she said.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has listed Latham as a GOP target on its Web site. How much money the committee will eventually funnel to the Democratic nominee in the district will likely be determined by polling and other indicators of Democratic support after June 3. Greenwald, who spoke with Meyer shortly before 11 p.m. last night, said she is confident the party will unify for the fall election to defeat Latham.