Thorup, Fields set to face off in November

Despite Tuesday night’s primary victory, Ann Fields knows she’s facing an uphill battle for former Rep. Greg Heartsill’s seat in House District 28.

After Heartsill announced his retirement earlier this year ,Fields threw her hat in the ring. Both Fields and Republican Jon Thorup captured their respective parties nominations by overwhelming margins Tuesday, with Fields carrying 82.22 percent of the vote over Zachary Pendroy of Monroe, and Thorup, a state trooper from Knoxville, easily topping Jon Van Wyk of Sully, who earned 38.39 percent of the vote.

With a Republican majority in district 28, which encompasses parts of Jasper, Marion and Lucas counties, Fields knows she’ll have to win over the district’s independent voters — a group of more than 7,000 residents spread across three counties. Heartsill carried the district easily in 2016, but Fields said she believes voters are ready for a change.

“I’m excited and honored that I carried Marion County so well. The hard work begins now, I guess,” Fields said Tuesday night.

Before the primary, both candidates agreed they’d run on issues alone and leave personal attacks out of the race, a move that Fields feels will give her a distinct advantage. Her goal is to ask voters to consider the issues at stake rather than their party affiliation before they cast their vote.

“We have to take a look at those issues to make sure people understand what side they’re really on,” Fields said. “You can’t get caught up in these identity politics. You’ve got to figure out where you stand on these issues. I want voters to realize what they’re voting on.”

Some of those issues Fields plans to highlight as her campaign takes shape in the next few months include fixing the state’s troubled Medicaid privatization, a decision that Fields says has only cost the taxpayer more instead of offering any savings.

She’ll face a tough fight against Thorup, who’s already secured the support of several prominent Republicans, including Heartsill and Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton. Heartsill appears with Thorup in a recent radio ad, touting the trooper’s long career of public service.

“I’ve endorsed Thorup because he’s served our state with honor and integrity for over 20 years, and I know he will continue to do so,” Heartsill said.

In a concession statement released to the Newton Daily News Tuesday night, Van Wyk said even though he’s disappointed to have lost, the campaign has been a learning experience for him. Van Wyk filed nomination papers to run against Heartsill in the 2014 primary but withdrew his candidacy after it was discovered he falsified his nomination paperwork and didn’t live in the district at the time.

“I learned a lot my first foray into running for public office, which will make for a more seasoned campaign in the future,” Van Wyk wrote in an email to the Newton Daily News. “Until then, it is time for conservatives to band together and defeat the Democrats in the Fall.”

As Thorup and Fields square off in advance of the November election, voters may find they have similar stances on many issues. In a candidate questionnaire published by the NDN, Thorup said he believes mental health care should remain a top priority for state legislators. Earlier this year, legislators passed a bill aimed a reforming the state’s mental health care system after several matrices ranked the state near the bottom in its treatment of the mentally ill. While Thorup said he’s glad to see the bill’s provision to create six regional service centers across the state, he still sees a need to add additional beds statewide for mental health care.

“Although the mental health legislation passed this year was a very large first step, one must not forget that a first step must be followed upon by a second step, and a third, and so on,” Thorup wrote. “It’s imperative that we follow up with more effort and more solutions.”

With a long career in law enforcement, Thorup has a unique perspective to bring the race. When asked about statewide water quality the state trooper suggested Iowans may need to look at using different products to de-ice road during wintry weather. The runoff from the salt used now is contributing to the state’s water quality issues, and new products on the market may work better and cost less than the salt now in use across Iowa.

“Side benefit — some of these newer products won’t corrode your car as much either. Who doesn’t want less rust on their car,” Thorup wrote.

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com.