West Des Moines Republican explores run for Harkin's Senate seat

A former power company CEO from West Des Moines announced Wednesday that he's formed a committee to explore a candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin.

Republican Mark Jacobs said he'll use the next “two to three months” to travel the state and talk to Iowans to determine if he should run for the Republican nomination.

If he does take make the plunge, Jacobs will enter an already-crowded GOP field that includes Ankeny attorney Matt Whitaker, former U.S. Senate staffer David Young and college professor Sam Clovis. U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley of Iowa's 1st Congressional District is the presumptive Democratic nominee.

“I'm not doing any fundraising,” Jacobs said during a telephone interview Wednesday. “This is to see if there's support from Iowans for the kind of person I am. My leadership style is grounded in Iowa core values, common-sense business principles and the belief that listening is the foundation of building consensus.”

Jacobs graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1980 and spent most of his professional life in other states, including a large stint at Reliant Energy, where he served as CEO.

He returned to Iowa in August 2012 and began a private education foundation called Reaching Higher Iowa in January 2013. The foundation lobbies for public education reform.

He and his wife, Janet, have three children, two of whom live in West Des Moines.