Hunter: Gear up, voters: Primaries loom

Sunday, May 25, 2008

(The Des Moines Register)Carol Hunter, chunter@dmreg.com

It was fun for Iowa to be back in the national political spotlight last week, as Barack Obama returned to rev up the supporters who gave him his first victory on a presidential-campaign journey that edges ever closer to the Democratic nomination.

The sense of anticipation in the gathering crowd in downtown Des Moines and the two risers full of national and international press made it feel like the last weeks before the caucuses. Only this time, some in the audience wore short sleeves, and Obama's handlers had choreographed a picturesque backdrop befitting a president: Over his shoulder, the majestic Capitol dome was lit against the late-spring night sky.

Such rallies can offer a shot of adrenaline to voters worn down by the long presidential-nominating campaign. For Iowa voters in both parties, though, this is no time for a timeout. Important elections lie just nine days ahead. In the June 3 primaries, Iowa Democrats and Republicans will sort out their nominations for a U.S. Senate seat, the five U.S. House seats, 25 state Senate seats and all 100 seats in the Iowa House.

Since the Democrats took control of Congress in 2006, repeated policy stalemates with a Republican president have demonstrated that changing leadership in one branch of government doesn't automatically mean a new direction. Democrats want to pair bigger majorities in the Senate and House with a White House win to clear the way for sweeping change. Republicans dread the possibility of a Democratic White House-Senate-House trifecta.

These primaries also could hint at whether the huge turnouts for the presidential caucuses were a one-shot phenomenon or a more lasting change that will translate into increased interest in other races and a bigger stable of party activists in Iowa.

At the top of the ballot, three Republicans, George Eichhorn of Stratford, Steve Rathje of Cedar Rapids and Christopher Reed of Marion, are battling for conservative votes as they seek to make a long-shot bid against Sen. Tom Harkin, running for his fifth term.

Perhaps the most intriguing major race is in the 3rd Congressional District, where Democratic Rep. Leonard Boswell, seeking his seventh term, faces a spirited primary challenge from former gubernatorial candidate Ed Fallon. Boswell's official House Web page bears the Blue Dog logo, signifying a conservative Democrat. Fallon is more progressive and maverick.

In the 4th District, four Democrats, hoping for a landslide year, are squaring off for the chance to oppose Republican Tom Latham, seeking his eighth term.

The Register plans to endorse in the primaries for both the 3rd and 4th districts, which include parts of the Des Moines metro area. (The 3rd District, in central Iowa, includes Polk County. The 4th District includes Warren, Madison and Dallas counties, then heads north to the state border.) The 3rd District endorsement will run Tuesday and the 4th District on Wednesday.

Also of interest is the Republican primary in the 2nd District, where three candidates want a shot at Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack before he lengthens his incumbency. Loebsack stunned the political world when he knocked off 30-year Republican incumbent Jim Leach in 2006.

Results June 3 could signal whether a restive electorate has more surprises in store.