Todd Halbur wins close GOP primary for state auditor

DES MOINES — Republican Todd Halbur, a former state government worker from Clive, will face Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand in the Nov. 8 general election.

In Tuesday’s Republican primary, Halbur led Mary Ann Hanusa, 51 to 48.7 percent, according to unofficial returns from all 99 Iowa counties.

Hanusa, a former state legislator from Council Bluffs, congratulated Halbur on his victory.

“Todd Halbur and I ran a spirited campaign for state auditor and I congratulate him on his primary win,” Hanusa said in a statement. “I am honored by the support of so many Iowans who responded to our message of public service over politics and of restoring credibility and trust to the auditor’s office. I will be forever grateful for their confidence in me.”

During the primary campaign, Halbur said he believes the reporting of fraud, waste and abuse across all government agencies in Iowa needs more training and streamlining. He proposed an anonymous, third-party 800-number for Iowans to report abuses.

Halbur also wants to increase the frequency of state audits of smaller local governmental agencies. Currently, Iowa communities under 2,000 population with a budget of less than $1 million are audited at least once every eight years.

“This is way too long between audits,” Halbur said during the campaign. “I would work with the Legislature to move this to every two years so we would be able to catch any errors, omissions or fraud quicker, in order for us to take corrective action and save the taxpayer money.”

Sand is completing his first, four-year term as auditor and is seeking re-election.

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