A 27-year-old Boone native has quit his job at the Pentagon to run for the Iowa congressional seat Republican Steve King now holds. Democrat Jim Mowrer is formally kicking off his campaign this morning (Tuesday). Mowrer served in the Iowa National Guard unit that spent 23 months in Iraq — the longest Iraq deployment for any unit in the military. In 2009 he returned to Iraq as a private contractor. In 2010 Mowrer went to work at the Penaton as a special assistant to the Under Secretary of the Army.

Mowrer says too many politicians in Washington from both parties are “pushing sound bytes to…score political points for partisan gain.” He accuses King of being part of the problem. “Steve King isn’t working for Iowans. He’s not working for the 4th district and I have a record of actually getting things done,” Mowrer says. “I think that a lot of politicians spend time talking about problems, but not actually working on finding a way to find solutions and getting them done.” 

Mowrer’s last day at the Pentagon was June 10th. He has moved back to Boone with his wife — who is a Boone native, too — and their two young children. If elected, Mowrer would be among the youngest members of congress. To be eligible to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, a candidate must be at least 25 years old and a resident of the state they wish to represent.

(Radio Iowa)