ITR counts primary scalps
With the primary two days in the past, the Iowans for Tax Relief Political Action Committee is counting its wins. The count, PAC officials claim, is pretty salty: 6-for-6. ITR’s political arm kicked into gear in 2006, and took out a western Iowa Republican incumbent in Paul Wilderdyke in the District House 56 GOP primary. Working just one district north in House 55 this year, the ITR-supported candidate, Jason Schultz of Schleswig, won the primary Tuesday. House District 55 is much like District 56 — sprawling, given the low population in the rural counties, and peopled with conservatives.
Schultz bills himself as a social and fiscal conservative and, given his backing by Iowans for Tax Relief, will never vote for anything remotely resembling a tax increase. His Republican opponent, Don Friedrichsen of Holstein, has had a 15-year career in working education issues and winning school board elections, and contended Schultz would be too beholden to the special interest wishes of ITR. It wasn’t a winning strategy.
ITR PAC’s post-primary press release notes that it “successfully recruited candidates to challenge incumbent (GOP) legislators Clarence Hoffman (of Denison) and Walt Tomenga. When faced with the prospect of having to face a primary opponent with a true commitment to fiscal responsibility and limited government, both Hoffman and Tomenga made the decision to retire.” Hoffman was lauded by many in the House as a guy who would work both sides of the aisle when necessary to get endeavors like the Iowa Values Fund economic development program off the ground in 2004. But that’s not limited government favored by ITR. So the political action committee is glad to have Schultz in it’s corner.
The other five Iowans for Tax Relief wins include House District 59, where Republican Chris Hagenow won the primary with 58 percent of the vote, House District 71 when incumbent Republican Jim Van Engelenhoven pummelled a GOP challenger, Senate District 42 where Republican Shawn Hamerlinck won the primary with 87 percent backing, House District 69 where Republican Erik Helland was victorious, and Senate District 48, where Republican State Sen. Jeff Angelo is retiring and ITR pick Kim Reynolds won with 62 percent.
