A school superintendent from central Iowa launched his campaign today for Iowa’s fourth district congressional seat. Fifty-nine-year-old Bill Maske, a Democrat, plans to resign in January as head of the Interstate 35 School District to run in hopes of unseating Republican Tom Latham of Ames.
Maske is a political newcomer, and says Latham too often supports special interests in congress and votes with the far right of his party. Maske says that does not reflect the attitudes of the people in the fourth district. But the father of four acknowledges he has an uphill battle when it comes to fundraising.
“I am connecting with my family, my friends from as far back as I remember, and talking with them about what I’m doing and about this campaign, and asking them to help me out, get started,” Maske says. The married father of four has spent 34 years as an educator says he has considered entering politics for quite some time.
“I have been in service all of my life. I’ve been trying to help children and families all of my life. And now I have an opportunity to do it on a larger scale, to have a larger impact for a greater number of people and I couldn’t resist that,” Maske says.
Maske supports universal healthcare coverage and calls for a federal works program to create jobs and rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. He is the first Democrat to announce plans to challenge Latham.