Some candidates who ran and lost last Tuesday may run again in 2012. Congressional and legislative district lines will be redrawn by the state legislature in 2011, using the latest Census data. Bill Maske — a Democrat from Truro who ran for congress in 2010 — may try again in one of the new districts.
“I’m going to certainly look and see what redistricting does,” Maske says. Last January, Maske retired from his job as superintendent of Interstate-35 Schools to challenge Republican Congressman Tom Latham this year. Maske and his family currently live outside of Truro, which is in the I-35 School District.
“I didn’t buy, I rented because I own a house in Belmond, which up near Mason City and I also happen to own a house over in Nashua and so I’ve got a little bit of geography that I can look at and play with depending on what redistricting does,” Maske says. “I don’t know if that will, you know, play into my future plans, but certainly I’m aware that it’s there.” Maske, who was an educator for 34 years, was an administrator in the Nashua and the Belmond-Klemme school districts.
Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa ran for congress in 2008 and again this past year, losing to Congressman Dave Loebsack twice. Miller-Meeks is applying for jobs so she can get back to work as an eye doctor and doesn’t plan to run again.
“I have a life to live. I’ve got a family that I need to reconnect with and spend more time with,” Miller-Meeks says. “I will stay in touch with many of the people I’ve met on the campaign trail…and continue to advocate for them in different ways.” Matt Campbell, a Democrat who lost to Republican Congressman Steve King in this year’s election, said in October on Iowa Public Television that he “would run again in the future.”