A woman who worked in the Iowa Workforce Development office in Denison until the Branstad Administration closed the office (and 36 others) down is going for a new job, as a state legislator.  Kasey Friedrichsen would face state Representative Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, who is the incumbent in the new district — if she wins the Democratic nomination in House District 18.  Schultz has endorsed Ron Paul’s bid for the GOP’s presidential nomination, so a Ron Paul “money bomb” of some sort for Schultz may be part of the dynamic in this race.  Paul helped several state legislative candidates raise money for 2010 races, including a fundraiser for Kent Sorenson, the state senator who is now managing Michele Bachmann’s Iowa campaign.)

Iowa House District 18 has a GOP voter registration edge of just over 1300. Denison is the largest city in the district. Read the news release below.

Denison, Iowa – Denison native Kasey Friedrichsen announced today that she will run for state representative in District 18, which includes Shelby County and parts of Crawford and Harrison Counties.

“This district needs a state representative who listens to people, puts politics aside and does what’s best for us,” said Friedrichsen, who grew up in the Denison-Schleswig area. “I’ve worked with hundreds of citizens in our community who are looking for work or need to upgrade their skills to land a good-paying job.  In these tough economic times, we must do all we can to create jobs, put Iowans back to work, and help our community thrive and grow.” [Read more…]