Campaign Almanac: Bob Krause announces run in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District

Former Democratic state lawmaker and Veterans National Recovery Center president Bob Krause of Burlington on Tuesday launched his run for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

Krause, who served three terms in the Iowa House in the 1970s, said he’s running to flip the seat from Republican control and help Democrats regain a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“It is no secret that incumbent Congresswoman, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, votes like Trump’s rubber stamp,” Krause said in a statement. “Extremists who appear set on destroying our democracy are given a huge institutional advantage simply because she is part of the House GOP.”

Political forecasters have labeled Iowa’s 1st Congressional District as competitive in 2026, with Sabato’s Crystal Ball recently categorizing it as a toss-up race. In April, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said it is targeting the district as one it hopes to flip in 2026.

This isn’t Krause’s first run for a higher elected office. Krause ran in the Democratic primaries for the U.S. Senate nomination in 2010 and 2016. He ended his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the 2022 U.S. Senate race, citing the pandemic as the reason he had trouble gathering the 3,500 signatures needed to get on the ballot. He also briefly ran in the 2014 Democratic gubernatorial primary before withdrawing and endorsing eventual nominee Jack Hatch.

While Miller-Meeks has not officially announced a reelection campaign, she took her name off the list of potential candidates for governor in April after Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she will not run for office next year.

The only other officially declared candidates in the race are Republican David Pautsch, of Davenport, and Democrat Travis Terrell, of Johnson County.

Grassroots Iowa Network launches

A new Iowa nonprofit that will support grassroots candidates and movements in the state launched Tuesday.

Grassroots Iowa Network aims to “restore confidence in the Democratic brand across the state” by providing a platform for different groups and activists to connect and communicate, as well as provide resources on campaigning and political messaging, according to a news release.

Although the group plans to work with organizations that support “democratic values,” it is not affiliated with any state or national Democratic parties.

The network is volunteer-based and its initial planning committee includes Charlie Bruner, Kathy Focht, Jack Hatch, Joe Enriquez Henry, Anne Kinzel, Ralph Rosenberg, Mary Weaver, Barb Wheelock and Tim Winter.