Dave Muhlbauer drops out of 2022 Senate race

Iowa Democrat cites death in family as reason for ending campaign

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Dave Muhlbauer has dropped out of the 2022 race. (Submitted photo)

Dave Muhlbauer, a farmer and former county supervisor from Manning, announced Tuesday he is ending his campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Muhlbauer was one of five Iowa Democrats seeking their party’s nomination to likely face Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in 2022.

Muhlbauer cited the death of a nephew in an accident earlier this year, stating it “has had a devastating effect on our family.”

“After a period of reflection with my family and close friends, I have decided that I will not be able to continue my campaign for the United States Senate,” Muhlbauer said in a statement. “I hope you’ll all understand that my family and I continue to need time together to grieve.”

Muhlbauer thanked his supporters and the “outpouring of love and understanding” from neighbors and other Iowans.

Still seeking Iowa’s Democratic U.S. Senate nomination are former congresswoman and former state lawmaker Abby Finkenauer of Cedar Rapids; retired admiral and Sioux City resident Mike Franken; Minden physician Glenn Hurst; and veterans advocate and former state lawmaker Bob Krause of Burlington.

Other campaign news

Grassley endorsements: A dozen Iowans who worked in former President Donald Trump’s administration endorsed Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s re-election campaign.

While Grassley has won six U.S. Senate elections, regularly by wide margins, he has lost some support from Trump’s voter base. At a recent Trump rally in Des Moines, Grassley was greeted by a smattering of boos. Trump later endorsed Grassley at the event.

The list of endorsements from former Trump officials includes former Iowa governor and U.S. ambassador to China Terry Branstad, former acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker, and former Iowa agriculture secretary and U.S. Department of Agriculture official Bill Northey.

A letter signed by the endorsers highlights Grassley’s work in the U.S. Senate to confirm three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, and his roles in crafting trade and tax policy.

“President Biden and the radical Democrats in Washington are trying to undo all the good President Trump accomplished. Chuck Grassley is the leader we need now to hold the line against socialism. We need Chuck now more than ever,” the letter says.

Mike Franken endorsements: Three state lawmakers are among the names on a list of roughly 30 new endorsements for Mike Franken’s U.S. Senate campaign. Franken is a U.S. Navy veteran and among four Democrats seeking their party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Among the new endorsements are three Iowa House members: Bob Kressig of Cedar Falls, John Forbes of Urbandale and Art Staed of Cedar Rapids.

“Admiral Mike Franken possesses the poise, demeanor and leadership experience that Iowans desperately need in the U.S. Senate. He would be ready to lead on Day 1 and is clearly Iowa Democrats’ best shot to defeat Sen. Grassley next November,” Staed said in a news release from the Franken campaign.

Christina Bohannan endorsement: Elect Educators Everywhere, a group that works to get teachers and other educational professionals elected to office, endorsed Christina Bohannan’s congressional campaign. Bohannan, a law professor at the University of Iowa, is the lone Democratic candidate for Congress in Iowa’s new 1st Congressional District.

“As an educator for nearly 20 years, Christina Bohannan has put the needs of her students first,” Elect Educators Everywhere Executive Director Pete Hackeman said in a news release from the Bohannan campaign. “Her life was changed for the better by educators who believed in her and invested in her, and now she’s devoted herself to doing the same for today’s students.”