The battle for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District is officially underway as filing for primary elections closed at 5 p.m. Friday. 

In the election for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, five Republican candidates and one Democratic have filed to appear on the ballot.

The 4th District includes Ames, along with other cities in western Iowa such as Sioux City, Mason City, Fort Dodge, Boone and Carroll. 

Republican candidates include: incumbent Rep. Steve King, Randy Feenstra, Steven Reeder, Bret Richards and Jeremy Taylor, according to the Iowa Secretary of State’s 2020 primary candidate list.

King announced in 2019 he would run for reelection and has filed for reelection. If he were reelected, King would serve his 10th term. King declined to comment on his campaign for this article.

Feenstra is an Iowa state senator, representing the 2nd District. He has served in the Iowa Senate since 2009 and announced his campaign to run against King for Iowa House in early 2019.

“Iowans deserve an effective, conservative voice,” Feenstra said in an interview with SiouxLand News at the time. 

Reeder is a businessman from Arnolds Park, Iowa. Reeder announced his campaign in September.

“I want to provide transparent dialogue to restore trust and confidence in representation in Washington,” Reeder said in a news release announcing his candidacy. “By working together, we can create common-sense legislation.”

Richards is a business owner from Irwin, Iowa. He served in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer officer. 

“I think [Steve King] is vulnerable, I think that it’s questionable whether he could beat J.D. Scholten […] in a very red district that’s not what we want to see as Republicans,” Richards said in an interview with the Daily in October 2019.

Taylor is a former member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing the 1st District from 2011 to 2013.

“I am the only one who can beat J.D. Scholten in the general election and effectively represent northwest Iowan families,” Taylor said. 

J.D. Scholten is a Democratic candidate announced his campaign to run for the seat in August 2019. He previously contested the seat in 2018, narrowly losing to King.

Speaking to the Daily when he announced his candidacy, Scholten said he hoped to keep young voters enthusiastic moving towards the 2020 election.

“I mean that’s absolutely part of our goal, and I think having a cycle […] of experience in us, I think we want to take some of the lessons we learned, and […] not only keep the base, but expand the base at Iowa State,” Scholten said.