The four republican candidates seeking the new fifth district congressional seat will meet tonight at a forum in LeMars. Three of the candidates are legislators: House Speaker Brent Siegrist of Council Bluffs, Senator John Redwine of Sioux City, and Senator Steve King of Kiron. The fourth candidate in the race, Jeff Ballenger, is a political newcomer. He’s a businessman in Council Bluffs, and Ballenger says that’s the profile voters prefer.Ballenger says western Iowa has a tradition of picking republican Congressman who haven’t been full-time politicians. Jim Lightfoot of Shenandoah was a radio braodcaster; Fred Grandy was an actor; Greg Ganske was a plastic surgeon; and Tom Latham was an agribusinessman. Ballenger has recruited staffers who worked on the campaigns of Congressman Tom Latham, who has represented many of the counties in the new fifth district.Ballenger runs a chain of car washes and his family operates a well-known auto repair shop in Council Bluffs.
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