House Democrat in Swing District to Retire

It was reported last week that State Rep. Bruce Bearinger (D-Oelwein) will not seek re-election this fall. Bearinger, a four-term representative, had initially decided to run again, but withdrew his name as he has been selected to serve as the new dean of agriculture, animal science and business technologies at Northeast Iowa Community College. House District 64 is located in most of Fayette and Buchanan Counties, where the main population centers are Oelwein and Independence. Though there are approximately 650 more actively registered Democrats than Republicans, this relatively rural district is an area where Republicans have done better in recent elections, as Gov. Reynolds won here in 2018 while President Trump won this district handily in 2016. Republicans are likely to nominate Chad Ingels, who is a former Environmental Protection Commission Chairman and Secretary of Agriculture candidate. Democrats will have to nominate someone via special convention, as the filing deadline for the primary has come and gone.