Clarity sought in Tuesday Iowa primary, but some wonder

We hope to know Tuesday night, June 8, the names of everyone running for Iowa's top elected offices in November.

But some political watchers I've talked with have suggested that may not happen. They point to the Republican nomination races for governor and Iowa's 2

^nd

and 3

^rd

congressional district seats because of the number of candidates and how fiercely the primary races have been contested.

Link to Secretary of State primary election site

With so many candidates in those races – three for governor, four for the 2

^nd

District nomination and seven for the 3

^rd

District bid – a leading GOP vote-getter may not have at least 35 percent of the vote. That threshold is required for the nomination. Without it, the candidates go to a nomination convention.

The same scenario could play out in the Democratic Party's Senate primary. But two recent polls – from the Research 2000 Iowa Poll for KCCI-TV in Des Moines and from the Raleigh, N.C.-based Public Policy Polling – show Roxanne Conlin, of Des Moines, with a large enough lead over Cedar Rapids' Tom Fiegen and Fairfield's Bob Krause to win the nomination. That is, if voters act in the same manner as those questioned for the opinion poll.

Both polls show Terry Branstad with enough support to win the Republican gubernatorial nomination if voters feel the same way as those polled, although the Public Policy Polling results show Bob Vander Plaats within 15 percent points.

We'll find out what happens Tuesday night, then the analysis will come. The Gazette will have a full report Wednesday morning.

In the aftermath of this primary campaign it will be interesting to see two things:

• How willing Republicans favoring Vander Plaats in the primary and who have said they would not support Branstad are to stand aside and help Democrat Chet Culver win.
• How willing Democrats favoring Fiegen in the primary and who who have said they would not support Conlin are to stand aside and help Republican Chuck Grassley win.