State Rep. Moore will not seek re-election

DES MOINES - Iowa Rep. Brian Moore, R-Bellevue, said Thursday he will not seek re-election this fall.

Moore has represented portions of Jackson and Jones counties since 2011.

Moore said he decided against running for a fourth two-year term so he can spend more time with his family and on his trucking business.

'I would like to get back in the realm of being a dad,” said Moore, who has eight children. 'It's the time to do it.”

Moore serves on a handful of Iowa House committees and chairs the Natural Resources committee.

Moore is a political convert; he was a Democrat before switching parties and winning his first House election in 2010, defeating a Democratic incumbent.

Moore's decision creates an open-seat race in a Democratic-leaning district. The number of active, registered voters in the district are 6,968 Democrats, 4,726 Republicans, and 9,151 no-party voters, according to the most recent Secretary of State's Office data.