Fred Hubbell (file photo)

A couple of Iowa Democrats who’ve held statewide office are lining up behind a candidate hoping to be picked as the party’s 2018 nominee for governor.

Former Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge is the Albia Democrat who also served two terms as Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture. She has endorsed retired Des Moines businessman Fred Hubbell’s bid for the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial nomination. Former Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson announced in late July that she would serve as co-chair of Hubbell’s campaign. It means the last two Democrats to serve as Iowa’s lieutenant governor are backing Hubbell.

Davenport Alderman Mike Matson, a Democrat who had floated the idea of running for governor himself, endorsed Hubbell earlier this week.

Former Governor Tom Vilsack, former Senator Tom Harkin and former Governor Chet Culver — some of the most recognizable names in Iowa Democratic Party politics — are currently neutral in the race.

Jo Ann Zimmerman, another Democrat who served as lieutenant governor in the 1990s, has endorsed Andy McGuire’s bid for governor. Roxanne Conlin and Bonnie Campbell, two Democrats who ran unsuccessfully against Republican Governor Terry Branstad in 1982 and 1994, are backing McGuire, too.