Just had a phone chat with State Rep. Wes Whitead, D-Sioux City, who said he won’t run for re-election in 2010 for House District 1. Whitead said six terms is enough — he’ll be 77 when this term ends and wants to do more with his grandchildren before they grow up. Whitead said he’d considered retiring from politics, discussed it with House Speaker Pat Murphy of Dubuque, and decided to step aside when learning Rick Mullin of Sioux City would fill the bill from the Democratic Party side. He’s endorsing Mullin.

“He has the Democratic principles of helping the middle class. That’s what I’m all about,” said Whitead, who won two terms in the 1990s, was defeated for re-election, then won again in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.

The narrow win in 2008 vs. Republican Jeremy Taylor, a North High teacher, led some to think that might be end of the line for Whitead if another Democrat wanted to step up to the plate in 2010.

Mullin is president of the family Mullin Awning and Siding business. Politically, he’s well-connected in currently serving as an officer on the Iowa 5th Congressional District Democratic Party organization and on the Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee. He’s also a former Woodbury County Democratic Party Chairman who’s seemed to have taken a more public stance lately. Or maybe I’m just thinking of his increased presence on a Twitter account, through which an hour ago Mullin announced filing his House District 1 candidate committee papers.

I’ve got a call into Taylor to see if he’s made up his mind on a 2010 House District 1 run.