With the battle for the Republican nomination for governor well underway other races around the state seem to be getting less press time. With the public opinion at the moment heavily anti-incumbent these races should be and are just as important as the battle to challenge Governor Culver. But because of the high profile nature of the gubernatorial race these races tend to be overshadowed. One such race is the battle for the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat Leonard Boswell in Iowa’s 3^rd US Congressional District. This race is has the potential to become very crowded very quickly. Currently there are two candidates that have declared their intentions to enter this race with at least two others considering throwing their hats in the ring.

The first candidate to toss his hat in the ring for this nomination was David Funk. Back in August Mr. Funk authored a piece of guest commentary for Iowa Defense Alliance in which he described why he is running for office. While I have yet to meet with or speak with Mr. Funk, like what his website has to say. His take on the issues is constitutionally based and he takes specific aim at the incumbent’s lack of respect for our founding document. He points out that Boswell has voted for and supported legislation that has increased America’s debt load and growth of the government in direct defiance of the Constitution. If you haven’t had the opportunity to do so yet I strongly urge you to check out Mr. Funks campaign website if you have not yet done so.

The second candidate to enter this race is one that I have had an opportunity to meet with on two occasions, Dr. Pat Bertroche. Our first chance meeting was when we both tried to attend Congressman Leonard Boswell’s first Town Hall on healthcare. As you have read before, we were turned away at the door because, not being union members, we were not aware that you had to RSVP for the event. That day I sat down at the Pizza Ranch in Sigourney to listen to what he had to say. The second time was when he came to a meeting of the Iowa Defense Alliance to speak with us. One of the first impressions that you get from Mr. Bertroche is that he is NOT a politician. He doesn’t speak with political correctness and he is not afraid to tell you his opinion. It does not bother him if it costs him your vote, he is being true to himself. He doesn’t pander. As for the issues he discusses, it is very evident that he has spent a fair amount of time studying them. As for his campaign, his website doesn’t seem to be as well developed as Mr. Funks, but he has his Twitter feed right there on the home page. Perhaps this is because he is running his practice at the same time as his campaign, or perhaps it is because he is not a politician. Only time will tell.

The purpose of this post was not to compare the campaigns, but to simply introduce you to two of the candidates set to do battle for the right to challenge Leonard Boswell. And if the public sentiment that I witnessed at some of Boswell’s Town Halls holds true, Boswell will have his hands full. His political career is in trouble. I will keep you updated as I learn more.