Iowa Congressional Race Gets National Attention

King vs. First Lady: The Sioux City Journal's Bret Hayworth has a piece today about the expected showdown between 5-term western Iowa Congressman Steve King and former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack. His article said this congressional race "will undoubtedly be the preeminent political race in Iowa in 2012.

I agree this has the potential to be a heck of a fight, especially if Vilsack continues her strong fundraising and if the national Dems back her with some serious cash. But let's not forget about the other major clash in the state: 9-term Republican Congressman Tom Latham and 8-term Democratic Congressman Leonard Boswell. It seems to me this race might get even more attention since it features two current members of congress battling because restricting took away one of Iowa's seats. Latham had the choice to run against King in the newly configured districts, retire or move into Boswell's 3rd district. So he opted for a move.

Latham told me he and his wife have bought a townhouse in Clive, so he now has an official residence in his new district. He said they haven't sold their house in Ames.