Leann Jacobsen, Spencer’s sole woman council member and a business owner who had been considering entering the Democratic primary in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District to challenge Congressman Steve King, made her bid official Thursday.
In a press release, she called the race a “historic fight to take back Northwest Iowa for the people,” lamenting the loss of opportunities in rural Iowa and declining local economies as young people leave for bigger cities. She proposed changing that by “put[ting] people — and common sense — over politics.”
Previously, Jacobsen served on the Iowa governor’s STEM Advisory Council and as president of the Technology Association of Iowa, an incubator for small businesses.
She joins paralegal and former baseball player J.D. Scholten, a resident of Sioux City, in the Democratic primary to see who will challenge King in the 2018 general election.
