The Democratic Party in a southwest Iowa county is in the process of nominating a Republican for one of the party’s slots on the November ballot.
Republican Chris Clark of Sidney is chairman of the Fremont County Board of Supervisors, but he lost this month’s GOP Primary by seven votes. Fremont County Democratic Party chairman John Powers says that was “an unexpected result” — and a recent change in Iowa law prohibits Clark and all other losers of party primaries from running as an independent in the General Election.
“The Democrat Party thought it was important that we give Chris Clark another chance,” he says.
According to a news release from Fremont County Democrats, Clark is expected to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination, but will remain a Republican. Fremont County Democrats credit Clark, who is seeking a second term as county supervisor, for “prioritizing county needs over partisan politics and personal grievance.”
“A few of the members had worked with Chris on different projects and they said that this kid is really good at what he does, he reached across the aisle,” Powers says, “and he does what’s right for people in Fremont County.”
In January of last year a group of Fremont County residents sued Clark and other county supervisors as well as a wind energy developer over plans for a wind farm in Fremont County. A judge dismissed the lawsuit last June. In THIS June’s Primary Election, Jeff Shearer of Hamburg won 311 votes and is the Republican Party’s nominee for Fremont County Supervisor.
(By Ethan Hewett, KMA, Shenandoah/Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson)