Campaign Almanac: Libertarian candidate Rick Stewart resumes campaign for Iowa governor

DES MOINES — Rick Stewart, the Libertarian candidate for Iowa governor, is resuming his campaign after taking time off following his arrest at a non-violent protest in Virginia.

Stewart, of Cedar Rapids, was arrested May 18 in Arlington while protesting 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.

In a news release, the Stewart campaign said a friend of Stewart's, a patient diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer, had been prescribed psilocybin assisted therapy by her doctor.

Under the 2018 Right To Try law, supported by both Iowa Sens. Chuck Grassley, a sponsor, and Joni Ernst, the prescription is legally allowed. The DEA, however, denied her request and is refusing to speak with the patient, Stewart said.

In 2020, John Hopkins Center released the results of a study that showed promising results of psilocybin in the mental health of terminal cancer patients.

Video taken at the May protest shows Stewart passively resisting while being handcuffed and taken to a paddy wagon.

“It is outrageous that drug warriors in the DEA would thwart the will of Congress so blatantly,” Stewart said in the news release. “If the laws of the land do not apply to government officials, what kind of a republic do we live in?

“I feel it is my moral responsibility to stand against this rogue government agency, and I am confident Sens. Grassley and Ernst have my back,” he added. “The drug war has clearly been lost in America, and it is time to gracefully retire the DEA agents who are still fighting it.”

Stewart's trial for trespassing is scheduled for Aug. 10 in Washington, D.C., his campaign said.

Stewart is running for governor against Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds and Democratic challenger Deidre DeJear.

SCHIFF TO FUNDRAISE WITH IOWA DEMOCRATS: California Democrat Adam Schiff, a member of the bipartisan panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, will attend Iowa fundraisers next weekend with U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, and Eastern Iowa congressional candidate Liz Mathis.

Schiff will attend a fundraiser with Axne on July 9 at Fox Brewing in West Des Moines, according to an event flyer published in a news release from the Republican Party of Iowa.

Schiff will attend a fundraiser with Mathis on July 10, according to an event notice on the Iowa Democratic Party’s website.

Axne is running for a third term in the U.S. House in Central Iowa’s 3rd District against Republican challenger Zach Nunn, a state legislator from Altoona.

Mathis is challenging incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in Eastern Iowa’s new 2nd District.

GUN SAFETY GROUP ENDORSES MATHIS: Giffords PAC, the gun safety advocacy organization founded by former congresswoman and shooting victim Gabrielle Giffords, has endorsed Democrat Liz Mathis in Iowa’s new 2nd Congressional District campaign.

Mathis, a state legislator and nonprofit leader from Hiawatha, is running against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson.

“Having grown up on the farm, I respect the rights of hunters and responsible gun owners and support the Second Amendment,” Mathis said in a campaign news release. “I also know that it’s well past time for members of Congress to put partisan politics and gun lobby donors aside and pass legislation to keep our children and communities safe.”

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ENDORSE HINSON: U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson’s campaign announced more than 50 endorsements from law enforcement members and first responders.

The Marion Republican is running for re-election in Iowa’s new 2nd Congressional District against Democratic state Sen. Liz Mathis of Hiawatha. Hinson currently represents Iowa’s 1st U.S. House district.

“These heroes put their lives on the line for us every single day, and I will continue fighting to make sure they have the resources necessary to keep our families safe,” Hinson said in a statement. “Law enforcement officers always have our back, and I will always have theirs in Congress.”

Hinson launched a law enforcement advisory committee in 2020 to hear about public safety issues in Iowa.

Gazette Des Moines Bureau