Kirsten Running-Marquardt, the daughter of former state Representative Richard Running of Cedar Rapids, has won a seat in the Iowa House. (According to KCRG-TV, Running-Marquardt received over 75 percent of the votes cast. Turn-out in the district was less than 10 percent.)
The seat opened up when former State Representative Dick Taylor (D-Cedar Rapids) resigned. Here’s background on the two candidates who faced-off today, as well as a link to background on Taylor’s resignation. Statements from Iowa Democrats & Iowa Republicans after the jump.
Statement from IDP Chair Michael Kiernan on Running-Marquardt’s Victory in House District 33
DES MOINES, IA – “I congratulate Kirsten Running-Marquardt on her successful campaign in House District 33. Kirsten has been serving Iowans through her work with Congressman Loebsack, and she will continue to faithfully serve her district. She will surely bring the same commitment to continued flood recovery to the legislature that we saw during her campaign.
“I also want to congratulate Speaker Murphy and Majority Leader McCarthy for this victory and express my confidence that Kirsten will not only be a fantastic public servant but also a dedicated partner with whom to continue your work in the upcoming legislative session.
“Kirsten joins Rep. Curt Hansen, who recently won a special election in House district 90. Our back-to-back victories in both special elections proves that Iowans believe in our Democratic ideals, and the Iowa Democratic Party looks forward to our continued success in 2010.”Iowa GOP Leaders Comment on HD-33 Special Election
Des Moines, IA – Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn and Iowa House GOP Leader Kraig Paulsen today released the following statements on the special election in House District 33:
“We are proud of the effort by Josh Thurston in a very challenging district for any Republican. While Josh did not prevail today, I’m encouraged to see a young, hard-working family man step forward to fix the problems in this state,” said Strawn.
House Republican Leader Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) said, “We appreciate the time and commitment Josh and all of his volunteers gave to this special election. We faced a significant uphill battle in this very Democrat House seat. I know Josh will continue to be a leader within the Republican Party, his determination is a lesson for all candidates.”
About O.Kay Henderson
Kay is a founding member of the Radio Iowa network newsroom. In 1994, she became the network’s news director. She’s a featured reporter and commentator on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press,” and the 2002 recipient of the Shelley Award.
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