The Republican Primary in Senate District 27 in Sioux City
- Friday, March 12, 2010, 8:54
- Iowa, News Center
- 1,258 views
- 9 comments
Written by Brent Hoffman
Years ago, it was commonplace for a respected Republican legislator to hand-pick and endorse his successor, who would then run unopposed in the primary and on to the general election.
But my, how times have changed.
In 2008, State Representative Clarence Hoffman (HD-55) endorsed Don Friedrichsen, only to see him beaten handily by Jason Schultz, who campaigned hard and well to the right. Just last week, State Senator Ron Wieck (SD-27) announced his support for Jason Geary to replace him, only to see the news greeted with disdain among conservatives and some Republican leaders.
Jason Geary, a former Sioux City Councilman, previously earned the ire of citizens by pledging to “hold the line on property taxes” and then actually voting to raise taxes 3 consecutive years, leaving Sioux City with the highest tax rate in the state (2005-2007).
This and other votes on spending issues frame him as a moderate, and has resulted in no shortage of credible, conservative candidates to oppose him. Bill Anderson, a State Central Committee Member and advisor to Congressman Steve King, has declared his intention to run and expects to formalize it next week.
Mr. Anderson, who has been involved in politics since the age of 15, said, “I’m not afraid of a primary fight.” Of interest, Anderson ran Geary’s campaign when he was elected to the City Council in 2003, but refused to support him for reelection in 2007 because of his record on taxes and spending.
Mr. Geary was soundly beaten in that reelection bid by Aaron Rochester, a principled conservative. Based on media accounts, another conservative, Steve Carlson, had also considered a primary challenge until reports surfaced that Anderson would step forward.
Mr. Carlson, the County GOP Parliamentarian, noted that, “Jason is a likeable young man, but his record is one of more spending and higher taxes, and that doesn’t play well with conservatives.”
For his part, even Senator Wieck may be reluctant to campaign for Mr. Geary, perhaps unaware of his record on the City Council and telling conservative activists he “didn’t know Bill Anderson might be interested in the position.” Sources have said that several other conservative candidates have also considered entering the fray, but are likely to defer to Mr. Anderson. Either way, this primary will be one to watch and a bellweather for conservatives in the Republican Party.”
Brent Hoffman is a conservative and founder of The Conservative Forum. He served one term on the Sioux City Council & was honored as “Best Politician” every year in office. He’s a former military officer and a Pentagon 9/11 Survivor.
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The Iowa Republican has written 548 stories on this site.
9 Comments on “The Republican Primary in Senate District 27 in Sioux City”
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It’s funny that Mr Hoffman would point to Mr. Geary’s loss on his re-election bid as a sign of the community’s rejection of his record in office. As many in Sioux City remember Mr Hoffman, running as an incumbant in the same race, was also beaten when he tried to become Sioux City’s Mayor.
“truthseeker”
I don’t understand what’s funny about it, or why you’d take a shot at me rather than address the honest facts and opinion in the article, and without any background or understanding. It’s no big deal, as I’ve taken worse, but for those who may be interested in the facts, they are as follows…
Yes, I was elected to the City Council in 2005, winning both the primary and regular elections. I did not run with or against Jason Geary in the same race, but did serve with him on the City Council from 2006-2008. Halfway through my term (2008), I ran for Mayor and won the primary. But I wasn’t present for the primary because my wife and I were returning from Mayo Clinic, where we found out she would have to reenter chemotherapy. I then contacted the Commission of Elections and asked for my name to be removed from the ballot but it was too late. At my wife’s insistence, I continued to campaign anyway, but was not elected. My wife passed-away 9 months later. These are the facts, and they can be verified through various media accounts. Lastly, as always, I sign my name.
B.R. Hoffman
Sioux City
Blogs are a great way to get information out, but anonymous (irrelevant) cheapshots on an individual who took the time to write a thoughtful, factual post is all too common. There is nothing untrue (either stated or omitted) in Brent Hoffman’s post and response, yet “truthseeker” is attempting to sidestep the “truth” for some unknown reason (since he/she won’t even reveal their identity)… I guess in today’s right-is-wrong culture, “truthseeker” is a perfect name…
Kevin Alons
Salix
I live in Sioux City and everyone is buzzing about this race and the other ones. Republicans can win!!!! I’m friends with Brent and he’s probably the smartest guy I know, but he’s also been through a lot and doesn’t suffer fools. He and all of the other conservative leaders will be supporting Bill and he’ll probably win easily like Shultz did. This year is shaping up to be a conservative tsunami!!!!!!
it’s great to be a conservative, 2010 is our year!
p.s. “truthseeker” is probably Jason Geary LOL
I hear great things about Brent Hoffman. Wish he were running for this seat. The opinion of Mr. Anderson isn’t so hot out here in the east…then again, we can’t vote in the election…we can, however, give to his primary challenger.
It’s a good thing, Jonny Boy, that the opinion of Mr. Anderson could not be higher among those who actually know him. Three times elected overwhelmingly to the State Central Committee by his peers in county Republican leadership positions across the 5th District, trusted and employed for nearly 12 years as a representative of both Senator Grassley and Congressman King, and now soon to be overwhelmingly elected to the State Senate by the people of District 27 (including myself), I believe, is proof that Mr. Anderson is respected and admired in THIS part of the state. I look forward to having him as my Senator and would respectfully ask you to keep your negative comments and money in eastern Iowa… and I will send Bill another check just in case.
Jacob Bossman
Sioux City
Well said bossman! I would like to think that anyone that truely considers themselves a republican would more wisely invest their resources by giving it to a republican trying to unseat a democrat in their own part of the state rather than throwing it at a losing endeaver so far away from home. I too will have to send Bill another check… just in case!
News station in Sioux City is reporting that Jason Geary has already dropped out. He couldn’t get support from anyone in the city and didn’t want to face certain defeat from his opponent. I think the article and these comments were probably right on.