Former C.R. school board member announces bid to lead Iowa Democrats

Cedar Rapids mail carrier and former school board member Dexter Merschbrock said Democrats need to rebuild trust with and prioritize the interests of working-class Iowans if they are going to reverse their political skid in Iowa.

A member of National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 373 who is married to a public schoolteacher, Merschbrock said rebuilding that trust requires a change in leadership and a state party chair who understands the challenges facing working-class Iowans.

“Working people should have control of the government and the economy,” said Merschbrock, who has announced his intentions to run for state chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, challenging current party leader Rita Hart.

Hart is a former state lawmaker and former congressional candidate who ran for lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket in the 2018 Iowa gubernatorial election. She was elected to lead the party in January of 2023 as it attempted to rebound from a string of poor election performances in the state.

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Hart, one of the last Democrats to represent a rural district in the Iowa Legislature, was elected to a two-year term that ends next month. Members of the Iowa Democratic Party’s State Central Committee are scheduled to meet Jan. 4 to elect officers, including chair of the party.

No one else has publicly declared their candidacy for Iowa Democratic Party state chair.

Most Central Committee members support Hart for party leader

At least 29 of the more than 50 State Central Committee members have signed a letter expressing their support for Hart to continue as chair of the Iowa Democratic Party.

“All of us wish the results of the November 5th elections had come out differently. We should not sugarcoat the outcome,” the letter states.

Former President Donald Trump carried Iowa again in the Nov. 5 election by his largest margin yet.

Republicans also extended their grip on the Iowa Legislature and retain control of the state’s federal delegation.

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“As Iowa Democrats, we have a great deal of work to do to win elections again,” State Central Committee members wrote. “We also believe, however, it would be a mistake to not continue to build on the operational improvements that have occurred at IDP over the past two years.”

Committee members said Hart returned the party to a financially sound position and hired hardworking and dedicated staff to bolster fundraising and field organizing efforts.

Hart, in a statement to The Gazette, said she is proud of the work that’s been done rebuilding the Iowa Democratic Party.

“When I was elected, IDP had laid off all but 2.5 staffers,” she said. “We did not have full-time finance, communications or data staff. We were $100,000 in debt. Over the last two years, despite challenges including a hostile DNC and hiring an entirely new staff, we have stabilized IDP and built a team that can execute an off-year plan starting in January 2025.”

Hart said Iowa Democrats knocked more doors and made more phone calls this year than in either 2022 or 2020.

“However, it clearly was not enough and we have a great deal more work to do,” Hart said. “ … This week, we’ll be sharing my plans (if I am honored with another term) to turn the institutional progress we have made into victories.”

Bret Nilles is chair of the Linn County Democrats and a State Central Committee member. Nilles, who is not among the State Central Committee members who signed the letter, said he feels Hart has done a good job leading the party.

“There have been a lot of challenges, and it’s been hard, but I want to keep an open mind if there is another person out there who can provide leadership and direction of the party,” Nilles said. “We’re doing better financially, but the overall results were not good for the party.”

He doubts, though, that person is Merschbrock.

“To be completely honest, he hasn’t been involved in the party to the same extent that Rita has,” Nilles said. “I haven’t seen him around as a volunteer. Without being an active participant in the party, I question what he’s really going to bring to help the Democratic Party move forward in the state when we have some severe challenges that we need to address.

“I’m always open to hear people’s ideas and thoughts, but I also take into account your prior experience and amount of participation they’ve shown within the party.”

Merschbrock said he worked for a small political consulting company in Las Vegas, Nevada, before moving back to Iowa, and has helped campaign for those running for city office.

“My experience, you know, it's not as extensive as some others,” he said. “I've not been a statewide candidate or congressional candidate or anything like that,” but said he would bring a “comprehensive view of the political system and the government” to the IDP.

Merschbrock: Democrats should target blue-collar voters

Merschbrock — who opposed a $220 million school bond referendum that failed — was voted out of office in last year’s Cedar Rapids school board election.

He said Iowa Democrats need to be more aggressive in pointing out what he sees as failed leadership and harmful policies being provided by Republican leaders in the state.

“Iowa Democrats, I haven't thought they've really put up enough of a fight over the last several years, really,“ Merschbrock said. “ … I just think we should be active and aggressive, and more than anything, lay out that clear vision between what Republicans are doing in the state and what Democrats could do.”

Merschbrock said the party needs to invest in targeted outreach and messaging to connect with blue-collar voters. That would involve crafting a policy platform and messaging that speak to their lived experiences and priorities.

He said the party also needs to recruit and support working-class candidates to run for local and state-level offices. The key, he said, is to empower blue-collar workers to shape the party's agenda and activities. By elevating leaders who share the same struggles and perspectives, the party can build greater trust and enthusiasm and mobilize the crucial voting bloc, Merschbrock said.

“Things that will bring people into the political process, to say, ‘The Democratic Party is on your side,’” Merschbrock said. “ … It shouldn't be, ‘We're going to chip away at Republican majorities.’ We need a platform that people can see and say, ‘Here's a vision for a different state.’ Not one where the rich get richer, but one where my kids school can stay open — one where I can go swim at the state park instead of all the beaches being closed because of water pollution.”

The Gazette’s Erin Murphy contributed to this report.

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com