Associated Press
A day after conservative Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) announced he would retire, one of the chamber's progressive champions said he'd do the same.
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin said Saturday he will not seek a sixth term in 2014, a decision that frees a new generation of Iowa Democrats to seek higher office and eases some of the burden Republicans face in retaking the Senate.
Harkin, chairman of an influential Senate committee, announced his decision during an interview with The Associated Press, and said the move could surprise some.
But the 73-year-old cited his age -- he would be 81 at the end of a sixth term -- as a factor in the decision, saying it was time to pass the torch he has held for nearly 30 years.
The news comes as something of a surprise -- Harkin had already raised plenty of money for a re-election bid and was all but certain to win a sixth term if he wanted one. The Iowan also has plenty of influence, given his chairmanship of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
But it appears Harkin is simply ready to enjoy retirement, and he's certainly earned it after a terrific career in public service. The senator will be missed.
The next question, of course, is what might become of his seat. Iowa supported President Obama by fairly strong margins in 2008 and 2012, but it's also a key swing state with a record of electing Republicans to top statewide offices.
With that in mind, Democrats hope to rally behind a strong candidate, and Rep. Bruce Braley, a four-term incumbent from northeastern Iowa, clearly wants the gig. It is not yet clear whether Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, is interested.
But it's the Republican field that's likely to be more interesting.
Guess who's eager to run for Harkin's seat?
[Rep. Steve King] strongly suggested he may run with a statement late Saturday.
"Iowans now have a real opportunity to elect a true Constitutional conservative to help lead us out of our crisis of debt and deficit," he said.
This is hardly shocking, since King had already expressed interest in running for the Senate anyway. Now that it's an open-seat contest, of course the right-wing congressman is eyeing the race.
To be sure, King would face a crowded GOP field that's likely to include other Republican congressman, conservative activist Bob Vander Plaats, Secretary of State Matt Schultz, some state legislators, and some Iowa GOP officials.
But what continues to fascinate me is the larger pattern. In 2010, Republicans had clear opportunities to win Senate seats in Delaware, Nevada, and Colorado, but they nominated extremists who couldn't win statewide races. In 2012, it happened again in Missouri, Indiana, and Connecticut.
And in 2014, we're likely to see the same scenario all over again. Chambliss is stepping down in Georgia, and Rep. Paul Broun is a leading Republican contender. Sen. Mark Begich (D) is generally considered vulnerable in Alaska, but Joe Miller is now considered the leading GOP candidate to take him on.
And in Iowa, Steve King is already one of the leading Senate candidates in a winnable race for the Republican Party.
Yes, a GOP primary may ultimately pit King against the less-right-wing Rep. Tom Latham, but the folks who show up for Republican primary contests in Iowa are not known for their pragmatism or moderation.
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I can only dream of a 2014 GOP Senate slate including such worthies as Paul Broun, Joe Miller and Steve King....
Will Iowans succumb to the crazy in 2014, or will they exercise due diligence in their next election cycle?
Yes, indeed, the Republican side of the aisle is no doubt the element of crazy we will all be watching in all election contests come 2014! -Kevo
If King runs this will put the Akin/Murdock races to shame.
As an Iowan I can tell you a lot of my parents generation , and my generation , has come to realize voting for the gop is not healthy any more , most people realize if you put one party in power all the time , they will screw things up eventually , but at this point we have no alternative , besides conservadem or progressive
Mr Benen , your points are spot on as usual , the other interesting aspect of this will be who the corporate DC dems get behind , and who iowa progressives get behind in the dem primary , I feel the majority of iowa dems will get behind a progressive and win it , but if we end up with a wall st dem shoved down our throats , progressives here will sink the whole ship , no problem
I agree that Democrats need to pick a good candidate with moderately progressive views. I do not live in Iowa and know nothing about Iowa politics except that there was a bit of a flap over the Republican's attempt to do away with tax credits on wind energy because a lot of Iowa farmers were surviving the drought by having wind chargers on their farms and getting royalties.
So Patango, tell your Democrats to support clean energy, especially wind.
Colorado did not elect Senator Michael Bennet just because the other guy was a far right jerk. Bennet was a good candidate who had been appointed to replace Ken Salazar when Salazar was appoint Sec. of Interior.
Iowa Stubborn...
Steve King for Senate. The Conservative Entertainment Complex will love it.
"Iowans now have a real opportunity to elect a true Constitutional conservative to help lead us out of our crisis of debt and deficit," he said.
True enough, but what does that have to do with you?
Please Iowans, don't vote for Steve King! Do NOT embarrass your state or our nation further by voting for another inept, incompetent know-nothing idiot into office! Your nation will be very grateful!
Look at the map of Iowa the past few elections. The reason why Steve King has been in the house for so long is because he represents a sparsely populated section of western Iowa with a bunch of evangelical farmers. He represents the largest land mass in Iowa and has for a long time, even though Iowa lost a rep with the census (RIP Boswell's house career). Christie Vilsack only lost her campaign to King by 5 to 6 points, whereas Braley and Lobesak (sp) won by significant margins in comparison to their republican counterparts in western Iowa. King came out on record saying that this is the first time since his first house election that he actually had to compete for his seat. However, because his new house district extended as far south and east as Ames, King had to buy airtime in Des Moines tv markets. The tv markets extend slightly into the other 3 districts and trust me on this one, I don't think he bought himself any favors with the campaign he ran against the state-wide, very popular former first lady of Iowa, Vilsack last year. It was quite dirty in the gaffe-tastic fashion. Trust me on this one, as long as we put up a viable candidate like Bruce Braley, King has no chance whatsoever as long as democrats turn out the vote. Flip through all of King's gaffe-tasm's and you pretty much have an open and shut campaign against King. However, if Latham gets the nomination, given the fact that he has represented at one point or another a LOT of the 99 counties in Iowa..... Then I would worry.
Hello, I recently wrote a blog post for the Cornell Daily Sun about Harkin's retirement: http://cornellsun.com/blog/content/2013/01/30/government-people