URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — Republicans in Iowa are gathering at a state convention near Des Moines to pick a candidate to run to replace retiring Congressman Tom Latham.
Six candidates are continuing their quest for the nomination at the meeting. They competed in a June 3 primary but all failed to draw the 35 percent of the vote required to nail the candidacy without a convention.
Establishment Republicans are hoping to hold the seat in the swing-voting district that includes Des Moines and rural southwest Iowa. However Democrats are hoping Republicans will pick a conservative with tea party backing, so they can steal the seat.
The candidates include a businessman, a Republican activist, the Iowa secretary of state, an ethanol lobbyist, a former U.S. Senate staffer and a state senator.