Schulte Plans Third Run For Congress In Western Iowa

CRESTON — Retired educator Joyce Schulte of Creston, the Democratic nominee for Congress in Iowa’s Fifth District the past two times, is collecting signatures for a third run she says will happen this year unless some unforseen circumstance cuts her off at the pass.

“I think you could put it down like that,” Schulte said in an interview tonight.

As it stands she would make the Democratic primary here in western Iowa into at least a three-person contest as retired Presbyterian minister Rob Hubler of Council Bluffs and retired businessman Bob Chambers of Essex are in the race.

Schulte, 65, has lost two elections by wide margins to U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron. In 2006,  a weak year for Republicans that even saw the outster of Iowa icon Jim Leach in eastern Iowa, King pulled 58 percent of the vote to Schulte’s 36 percent in the sprawling, 32-county western Iowa district. King spent $620,000 compared to just $73,000 for Schulte. A largely self-financed Independent, Roy Nielsen of Orange City, spent $150,000 but failed to break into double digits with just 5 percent of the vote.

In 2006, Schulte beat Chambers to get the Democratic nod, and in 2004, Schulte bested former State Rep. Gene Blanshan of Panora in the primary.

During the interview Schulte, retired as the director of support services for Southwestern (Iowa) Community College in Creston, said she is working on collecting the necessary signatures for a run.

“I generally don’t start things that I don’t think are feasible,” Schulte said. “This is one of those things I want to do. I think its feasible.”

What would make 2008 different for Schulte than her earlier two failed bids against King, presuming the congressman doesn’t seek to trade up with a Senate run against Tom Harkin, D-Iowa?

“I wouldn’t want to divulge everything,” Schulte said.

Last week, Hubler told Iowa Independent he was well funded for a primary race with more than $80,000 raised. For her part Schulte said she’s not stared on that yet.

“I haven’t put my energies into that,” Schulte said.

On Tuesday night, Schulte noted that Iowa has never elected a woman to a congressional seat or to the U.S. Senate, and the Hawkeye State has never had a female governor.

She touched on that theme in an earlier interview on women in politics.

Is there any way a female candidate can win in the most conservative district in the state?

“That’s a fascinating way of putting a question, that women aren’t electable in Iowa,” Schulte said last spring.
Schulte said she knows the electoral history with women for top political positions in Iowa.

“Yeah, I know what the rule is at the moment,” Schulte said. “We’ve gone all the way up the ladder except moving into those top three.”

Why is that?

“It beats my five aces,” Schulte said. “You know, women are good to keep home and whatever. We brag about them in every way except. And I just don’t know whether it’s a figment of our imagination in a sense that women can’t do those top pieces in government. We do the top pieces in raising families. We do some of the top pieces in business.”

She noted that women are fighter pilots and astronauts.

“Why we can’t do it in Iowa for those congressional and senatorial pieces I’m not sure,” she said.

Sioux City Journal reporter Bret Hayworth has reported that Chambers has the signatures needed to enter the race. Here is Hayworth:

It was just a formality, but Iowa 5th District cogressional candidate Bob Chambers of Essex has gotten the necessary petition signatures to officially file nomination papers for the post held by Republican Steve King. Democrat Chambers met the requirement of getting 16 counties with 793 signatures. The 5th District is composed of 32 counties.