Campaign Almanac: Libertarian candidate for Iowa governor suspends campaign after arrest

Rick Stewart, the Libertarian Party’s candidate for Iowa governor, has paused his campaign after being arrested while protesting recently in Arlington, Va.

The Libertarian Party of Iowa issued a statement saying it “completely supports the decision,” and indicated Stewart will resume his campaign before this fall’s election.

Stewart, an activist from Cedar Rapids, was participating in a non-violent protest at the federal Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters in support of allowing terminally ill cancer patients to use psilocybin, the hallucinogenic ingredient in certain mushrooms, under the “Right to Try” act.

“Iowans deserve the right to make decisions about their own health care. Our candidate is showing the ridiculousness of the system,” Libertarian Party of Iowa chairperson Jules Ofenbakh said in a news release. “In 2018, (former President Donald Trump) signed the ‘Right to Try’ bill, supposedly guaranteeing the rights of terminal patients access to unapproved treatments. But we see here that another holdover of the failed war on drugs is allowing the DEA to remove those rights.”

The state party’s news release said Stewart and running mate Marco Battaglia will provide Iowa voters a choice for governor this November.

FRANKEN AD: Mike Franken has produced his third TV ad in Iowa’s U.S. Senate campaign. The ad highlights Franken’s experience as a U.S. Navy admiral.

Franken, from Sioux City, is one of three Democrats running in Iowa’s U.S. Senate campaign.

“Now Franken is running to protect our rights from dangerous attacks at home on democracy, voting rights and civil rights,” the ad states. “And with a woman’s right to choose and marriage equality under threat, we need a senator on our side more than ever.”

The other Democrats in the primary are Abby Finkenauer, a former Congresswoman and state legislator from Cedar Rapids, and Glenn Hurst, a physician from Minden.

The Republican incumbent is U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. He faces a primary challenge from Jim Carlin, an attorney and state legislator from Sioux City.

Iowa’s primary election is June 7. Early voting is underway and runs through June 6.

Gazette Des Moines Bureau