Less than 24 hours after Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (R) signed off on Iowa’s redistricting plan, Christie Vilsack, spouse of Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, announced that she would be considering a challenge in the redrawn 4th district of Iowa that would set up a campaign with conservative five-term Republican Steve King. This contest sets up a clash of politics in northwest Iowa that will likely draw a great deal of interest and dollars from national groups. An example of how contentious this race could be is minutes after Vilsack’s announcement, the conservative, antitax Club for Growth released a statement declaring its support for Rep. King, an early indication that the deep-pocketed group will likely spend heavily to support the Congressman.
Iowa lost a seat to reapportionment and the number of House districts dropped from five to four. As a result, district borders in the state were drastically altered through redistricting. Instead of running against the Democrats representing the eastern part of the state where Vilsack is from, the former Iowa first lady opted to challenge King. Vilsack will have to move to be officially in the district where she will be running.
Iowa is one of the first states to have completed redistricting maps.
