Thorup withdraws SD19 bid, seeks HD37 seat

Rep. Jon Thorup, R-Knoxville, is no longer seeking the redistricted Iowa Senate District 19 seat — which he originally announced in October 2020 — and he will instead be on the primary ballot for House District 37, according to election filings posted by the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office.

In a follow-up interview with Newton News at the League of Women Voters forum on March 19, Thorup said House District 37 was the original district he had planned on running for. But Greg Heartsill also announced he wanted to run for the seat. Thorup said Heartsill was a good person to run for the seat.

“The senate seat was open, but he (Heartsill) backed out last week,” Thorup told Newton News. “So, honestly, it was the district I probably wanted to run for anyway. It most closely matches the district I’m in now. It’s very similar … I like this area, so it was a natural fit.”

Heartsill officially dropped out of the House District 37 race on March 16, citing unexpected events in his family life caused him to withdraw his candidacy. In a press release, Heartsill expressed his support for fellow Republican candidate Barb Kniff-McCulla, owner of KLK Construction in Pella.

Thorup and Kniff-McCulla will compete for the Republican nomination in the primary. Thorup said Kniff-McCulla is a “very nice” and “intelligent” person.

In a press release, Thorup received support from fellow legislators Rep. Dustin Hite of House District 79 in Mahaska County and Rep. Brent Siegrist of House District 16 in Pottawattamie County.

Hite said, “I was happy to hear that Jon will be remaining in the Iowa House. His experience as an Iowa State Trooper is an invaluable asset to House Republicans. While Jon is a conservative, he is known as the quiet leader who is often able to find common ground among the different factions of the Iowa Legislature.”

Siegrist added, “I know that Representative Thorup was considering running for the Iowa Senate. While I respect our Senate colleagues, I’m happy Jon is running for re-election to the Iowa House. He has been doing a great job representing the people of his district.”

Following the state’s redistricting five months ago, Thorup announced he would run for the Senate District 19 spot, which consists of portions of Jasper, Marion and Mahaska Counties. Thorup currently represents House District 28. He was first elected to the position in 2018 and was re-elected in 2020.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com