Patty Judge

Patty Judge

U.S. Senate candidate Patty Judge is campaigning in the northeast Iowa town of Decorah today but she’ll be flying to the East Coast next week to attend the Democratic National Convention.

Judge, a former Iowa secretary of agriculture, says she’ll only be there briefly, but she finds such events very worthwhile.

“It’s so much fun, so exciting, so energizing,” Judge says. “I just can’t afford to go and spend the week in Philadelphia. There’s too many places to go and too many people to see in Iowa but I am going to be out there for a day.” The party’s presumed presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is expected to name her running mate today and former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, the current U.S. ag secretary, is reportedly among her top three picks.

“Gosh almighty, that would be so great for this state, so great for rural America,” Judge says. “If that is announced today, you will see me doing the happy dance all over Iowa.” Coincidentally, Judge says she’ll be at the DNC the day the vice presidential nominee is scheduled to speak.

(Reporting by Darin Svenson, KDEC, Decorah)