The northeast Iowa congressman considering a 2014 campaign for the U.S. Senate seat Tom Harkin now holds met privately with Democrats in the Iowa House and Senate today. Congressman Bruce Braley of Waterloo said the meetings are part of his decision-making process.
“If I do decide to do something like this, I’m going to need their advice, their support and their help,” Braley told reporters. “I’m going to need them to introduce me to their friends, their neighbors, their constituents — but that’s still a long way off.”
Harkin announced on Saturday that he would not seek reelection in 2014. Braley is headed back to Washington, D.C. soon to get the advice of other Democrats in the U.S. Senate.
“I have received calls from Senator Reid, Senator Bennett, in getting involved in a race like this,” Braley said today.
Harry Reid is the Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate. Colorado Senator Mark Bennett heads the committee that raises campaign cash for Democrats who’re running for the senate.
Braley told statehouse reporters that running for the senate “is not something you rush into” and he has not set a deadline for making a final decision. Braley was reelected to a fourth term in the U.S. House this past November. His margin of victory was the largest among the four Iowa congressional races in 2012.