Iowa Sen. Molly Donahue looks to challenge Louie Zumbach for Linn County supervisor

CEDAR RAPIDS — Democratic state Sen. Molly Donahue of Cedar Rapids is launching a bid to challenge incumbent Louie Zumbach, a Republican from Coggon, for the District 3 Linn County supervisor seat in 2024.

Voters elected Donahue in 2022 to represent Iowa Senate District 37 encompassing Marion and part of southeast and northeast Cedar Rapids. If elected to the supervisors, she’d unseat the three-member board’s lone Republican in the partisan race.

She’d also only be about halfway through her four-year Senate term, which goes through 2026, so there’d have to be a special election to fill her seat if she were to win. According to Iowa Code, the governor must call a special election to fill a Senate vacancy within five days of the seat being vacated or at the earliest possible time if the vacancy arises during the legislative session.

“I love what I’m doing right now, but I believe in the position we’re in that I have more to offer at the local level as far as getting the work done and doing things for people here,” Donahue told The Gazette. “... We don’t get a lot done because we can’t with the (Republican) trifecta there. I can do a lot more for my community here and always put my community and the people of my community above all.”

Zumbach said Wednesday he plans to seek a second term on the board. If other candidates emerge, they would force a contested June primary in their respective parties.

The District 3 seat represents Marion, Robins, Lisbon, Mount Vernon, Springville, Bertram, Prairieburg, Coggon, Central City, Alburnett, Center Point and Walker, as well as most unincorporated rural areas of Linn County. Supervisors earn a salary of about $130,091 and serve four-year terms.

“I have been honored to serve the great people of our state in both the House the Senate, and I am eager to bring my passion for public service and my proven track record to Linn County,” Donahue said in a statement. “I believe that by working together, we can tackle the challenges facing our communities and build a brighter future for all of our residents.”

Zumbach, a former state lawmaker, farmer and small-business owner, said he’d focus in a second term on keeping property taxes in line with the services the county provides. His first three years on the board have brought constant change with state policy changes particularly affecting the county budget, he said. Before being elected to the supervisors in 2020, he represented District 95 in the Iowa House since 2016.

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“I’d like to continue bringing the more conservative budgeting around and keeping our budget in mind and concentrate on the things that we statutorily have to do, and just try to have good government for the people of Linn County,” Zumbach said. “I hope to continue being able to do that.”

Donahue, an educator, has served in the Iowa Legislature for six years — first in the Iowa House before running for Senate last year. In a news release announcing her candidacy, she touted a commitment to “transparency, fiscal responsibility, and community engagement … as well as a record of bipartisan collaboration.”

In the Iowa Senate, she is the ranking member of the workforce committee and health and human service appropriations committee. She also serves on the local government, education and health and human services committees.

Donahue said her decision to run for a supervisor seat shows a commitment to addressing key issues facing Linn County, including infrastructure — roads and bridges for rural Linn County — economic development, public education, public safety, public health and more. She said her experience in state government positions her well.

Donahue will launch her campaign with a series of events and listening tours throughout Linn County District 3 in the coming months, according to the release.

Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com