An aide to Conlin told the Associated Press and The Des Moines Register that Conlin would file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission this week. She now joins Bob Krause of Fairfield, Tom Fiegen of Clarence and Sal Mohamed of Sioux City in the Democratic primary.

Conlin is the former president of the nation’s trial lawyers association. She ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1982 and has built a reputation as one of the country’s leading civil rights attorneys.