Eddie Mauro is the second candidate to announce they are running for the Democratic party nomination for U.S. Senate to take on incumbent Republican Sen. Joni Ernst in the November 2020 election, having declared his bid May 20.

Mauro said Ernst is not capable of fixing the “brokenness” of Washington, and he is running as the “people’s senator.”

Mauro, a graduate of Simpson College with a degree in education, previously worked as a teacher. Mauro runs an insurance business now, which he said operates in all 99 Iowa counties.

On the student loan debt crisis, Mauro said there should be more investment in public universities and a way to forgive or restructure college debt. He also said he believes there should be a mechanism to reduce student loan debt for individuals who have served the country.

Though other Democratic presidential candidates have expressed support for “Medicare for All,” Mauro declines to endorse that policy. Mauro said he supports strengthening the Affordable Care Act and introducing a public option — a way for Americans to buy a government-run health insurance that would compete with private insurers.

The minimum wage in Iowa is $7.25 per hour, which is too low for people to live on, according to Mauro. Progressive groups throughout the country such as “Fight for $15” advocate for raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, but Mauro said that would “put a lot of pressure on small businesses,” and said it would be too high of a minimum wage for Iowa.

Mauro has never served in elected office and his most recent attempt to attain office ended in a loss.

Mauro ran against Rep. Cindy Axne, D-West Des Moines, for their party’s nomination of U.S. representative in Iowa’s Third Congressional District in 2018. Axne defeated Mauro 58-26.

The campaign website for Mauro’s Senate bid has no policy page right now, though it does list endorsements from various Iowa-elected officials such as Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, D-Des Moines.

A survey for Public Policy Polling conducted in late April found Ernst leading a generic Democratic opponent by a 48-44 margin.