Challenger to Longtime Congressman

Mount Vernon, IA – A college professor from Eastern Iowa plans to run for Congress next year. Dr. David Loebsack teaches political science at Cornell College in Mount Vernon. He says he will run as a Democrat for the 2nd district seat Republican Congressman Jim Leach has held for nearly 30 years. Loebsack says he chose to run because voters have told him that a change is needed in Washington DC. He says he supports at least a $2 increase in the federal minimum wage. The general election is more than a month away. Congressman Leach has yet to formally announce whether he will seek a 16th term in office.