Who will be next Iowa Democratic Party chair? Members vote Saturday

A proposed new steering committee would help lay out a plan for how Iowa Democrats reverse their fortunes over the next election cycle following steep election losses in the state in November.

The plan comes as the state party’s governing board convenes Saturday to elect a new leader.

Iowa Democrats face a rocky road ahead as the party looks to rebuild after another election cycle that saw Republicans expand their control over the state lawmaking process — and the expected loss of their first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses.

Republicans now occupy all six seats in the state's congressional delegation, the governor's office, all statewide offices save for one and gained historically large majorities in the Legislature.

Members of the Iowa Democratic Party’s State Central Committee are set to vote on a proposal to create a steering committee that would direct party operations and election activities.

The committee would consist of the new state party chair, who members also will select; leaders of Iowa House and Senate Democrats; State Auditor Rob Sand, the lone Democrat to hold statewide office; current party Chair Ross Wilburn, who was elected in 2021 and is not seeking another term; and four members of the State Central Committee, one from each of Iowa’s four congressional districts and elected by the governing body.

Members of the committee would oversee and direct state party spending and bank accounts; implement a comprehensive statewide messaging strategy; develop statewide organizing efforts and set the agenda for the full State Central Committee.

The committee’s actions could be overturned by a two-thirds vote of the full governing board, according to the proposal.

The committee would develop recommended changes to the state party’s constitution to present to the State Central Committee no later that six months before Iowa Democrats’ 2024 state convention, upon which the committee would be dissolved.

“I think this will be a productive proposal that will help improve the governance of the party and the leadership of the party. I strongly endorse it and hope that it passes,” Senate Democratic leader Zach Wahls of Coralville told reporters Thursday alongside House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst, both of whom would serve on the steering committee.

Wahls said the sheer size of the party’s 50-member-plus central committee makes it hard to build consensus, let alone respond quickly to the challenges the party faces.

Asked about Saturday’s vote to select a new state party chair, Wahls said he and Konfrst — who are not voting members of the central committee — will be monitoring the vote.

“We’ll work with whoever the chair is, obviously, whether it’s through a steering committee proposal or any other structure,” Wahls said. “I’d say that our No. 1 concern is making sure we have a state party that is focused on winning tough elections. That means continuing to work in competitive state legislative districts,” as well as a renewed emphasis on organizing at the precinct and county level.

Three candidates have put their names forward as chair: former state Sen. Rita Hart, former legislator Bob Krause and campaign organizer Brittany Ruland. Here's a look at each candidate.

Rita Hart

Hart, 66, of Wheatland, served in the Iowa Senate and was Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell’s running mate in 2018. Hart lost her 2020 congressional race to Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks by a historically close six votes. Hart is now serving as chair of the Clinton County Democratic Party.

In an email to State Central Committee members, Hart wrote that she has never previously considered leading the party, but said she cares deeply about the success of Iowa Democrats.

“My focus is squarely on helping our party begin winning elections again,” Hart wrote. “With that focus on winning in mind, I have worked to put together a series of proposals on the governance of our party and structure of staff that will put IDP’s focus squarely on supporting our elected leaders and candidates for office.”

The email included a document Hart called her “Mandate for Change” that emphasizes the need for the state party to raise money so that it can adequately invest in candidates and amplify a statewide message, including hiring a staffer to manage online fundraising as part of a proposed small-dollar donor program.

The plan also calls for hiring positions dedicated to content generation, digital and field organizing and a data director to manage and improve the party’s voter database.

“Instead of starting with four organizers covering 20+ counties each, we will begin with organizers having responsibility for only a couple of contiguous counties and responsible for working that turf all off-year aggressively,” Hart wrote. “This program will grow to cover more counties as more funding becomes available and serves as a pilot for an eventual 99-county year-round program."

Hart proposed prioritizing smaller, swing counties in a statewide race “over base Dem counties,” as well as counties “that need additional capacity to grow but have shown clear signs of committed leadership.”

As for the caucuses, Hart did not say during a virtual forum hosted by the Southwest Iowa Democrats whether she thinks the party should hold an unsanctioned caucus in defiance of the Democratic National Committee, as some — including former Iowa Democratic and Republican Party chairs — have suggested.

Bob Krause

Krause, 73, is a former legislator who ran for the U.S. Senate nomination in 2010 and 2016 and for governor in 2014. He withdrew from the race for his party’s nomination for U.S. Senate in 2022, citing the impact of the pandemic on gathering the 3,500 signatures needed to get his name on the ballot.

He is the current chair of the Iowa Democratic Party’s State Central Committee Veterans Caucus and the president of the Veterans National Recovery Center.

Krause said he would use that experience to “rejuvenate the party, strengthen our hold in urban areas, and rebuild our party organization in rural areas.”

He said Iowa Democrats cannot afford to cede the first-in-the-nation caucuses to Republicans. Krause is advocating Iowa Democrats hold a straw poll on the same night as the Republican caucus, even if it doesn’t draw much attention outside of Iowa.

Having “a silent beauty pageant,” he said, “will keep some visibility on the Iowa Democratic Party as the Republicans slug it out.”

Brittany Ruland

Ruland, 32, moved to Iowa in 2019 to work as a regional field director in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. She later worked for Eddie Mauro’s 2020 U.S. Senate primary and as campaign manager for West Des Moines Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott’s successful 2022 race to oust former Iowa Senate President Jake Chapman.

Ruland said she is running to use lessons learned from Trone Garriott’s campaign to help Democrats rebuild, reorganize and lay the groundwork to unite local groups and a new generation of donors and activists around a new vision for the party.

That includes implementing a “robust” year-round organizing strategy, including in rural areas “to rebuild some trust there.”

Ruland said the party must rebuild bridges of trust with rural and marginalized voters by investing in cultivating relationships with local leadership year-round in all communities.

“What we have heard over and over again is that people are feeling ignored,” Ruland said during the virtual forum. “We show up weeks before we need a vote. We beg them to come and vote for our people. And when we just disappear after that.”

Ruland as well proposes keeping Iowa Democrats financially competitive by building a donor base of “labor unions, Iowa power donors and issue organizations” to overcome the "inevitable“ financial loss of Democrats’ losing their premier spot in the presidential nominating process.

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