Democratic primary shaping up in Iowa House 68

MARION - Scott Foens anticipates he'll have to win a primary election to get the Democratic nomination in a Linn County Iowa legislative district.

Although he doesn't expect there will be much daylight between his positions and those of Molly Donahue, who expects to announce her candidacy this summer, Foens thinks he matches up better against incumbent Republican Rep. Ken Rizer of Marion.

'I think it's great that Molly's in,” Foens, 52, of Marion, said Thursday. 'This is really going to give voters a chance to look at the Democratic candidates and say who they think is the best match-up for Ken Rizer - me being a military veteran, me having deep ties in the Marion area with my dad and his shoe repair shop that has been there since 1983, my kids going to Marion and Linn-Mar high schools and making the case that I'm the better fit and the better match-up against Ken Rizer.”

'The Republican-led Legislature has driven Iowa into the ground,” and residents of House 68, which includes Marion, Ely and Bertram, are concerned with the direction the state is headed, Foens said. 'People are worried about economic security, they're worried about education, they're worried about making sure we have clean water.”

To change that direction, Democrats have to win majorities in the Legislature and retake the governor's office, he said.

'In order to do that, you've got to be able to defeat Republican incumbents,” he said. 'You've got to look at the matchup and say, ‘Who is the candidate who can beat that Republican?' ”

Since 2011, Foens has worked for the city of Cedar Rapids managing its land and asset management computer system.

Before that, Foens, who grew up in Tipton, served four years in the Air Force - two at NORAD and two overseas in Crete, Greece and Turkey. After leaving military service, he eventually returned to Eastern Iowa, working at AEGON until 2010.

He's a former EMT, starting when he was in high school. Foens is a member of American Legion Post 298 and former board member of the Linn Community Food Bank.

Rizer, who is in his second term representing House 68, chairs the House State Government Committee. A retired Air Force colonel, he previously was a vice president at Goodwill of the Heartland and now teaches aviation at the University of Dubuque.

He won re-election in 2016, 54 percent to 46 percent over Donahue, a teacher in the Cedar Rapids school system.

More info:

Names: Scott Foens

DOB: 52

Occupation: computer systems management for City of Cedar Rapids

Education: BA in history; MBA from Saint Ambrose University; master's certificate from George Washington University

Office Sought: Iowa House 68

Party: Democrat

Family: wife, Linda, three children from previous marriage

Website: www.foensforiowa.com

l Comments: (319) 398-8375; james.lynch@thegazette.com