Republicans in Senate District 35 selected their nominee for the special election to replace Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer in the Iowa Senate. Katie Whittington won the nomination against Dennis Campbell and State Rep. Tom Determan.
Campbell told voting members of the central committee he is a lifelong Clinton County conservative Republicans who believes in the right to life, the Second Amendment, personal property rights and a citizen-driven legislature.
Determan talked extensively about his experience working with the Chamber of Commerce and winning elections.
Whittington called herself a conservative, Christian, mom and advocate for Iowa’s future. She’s also the vice president of Health Freedom Iowa. Whittington said she has lived in Iowa her whole life and in Clinton County for the last 10 years. Many of the voters knew her from her tireless work on the Trump campaign, she said.
“I’m a fighter for Iowa and I will never back down,” she said.
Whittington said she believes in Iowa values such as hard work, common sense and leaving children a better future. She called the Department of Education a “bloated bureaucracy” that needs to be dismantled. Whittington said she stands firmly for school choice.
Programs helping Iowa students pursue careers in the medical field along with incentives for those students to stay and work in Iowa have her support. She also said there is an urgent need for mental health resources.
In addition to her support of medical freedom, Whittington vowed to work hard for veterans and offered strong opposition to wind turbines and the carbon capture pipelines.
“(Carbon capture pipelines are) unnecessary, unsafe and an affront to hardworking landowners of this district,” she said. “Your property rights should never be for sale to private interest.”
Whittington then talked about the importance of securing the border before wrapping up her speech.
“This election is not about who has been here the longest, it’s about who will work the hardest for you,” she said. “I’m not running for me, I’m running for you, your children and our shared future.”
