Northern Iowa gears up for unusual primary

(ABC 6 News) – Iowa is gearing up for a primary election on June 7. Election officials say they have seen more interest in these races because of recent redistricting, however in Northern Iowa some seats may stay uncontested.

Republican and Democratic ballots in Mitchell County will have an empty spot for county attorney in the upcoming primary. No candidates have filed to run for the seat. The Secretary of State’s office says while this doesn’t happen often, Iowa law gives County District Supervisors the ability to appoint someone to the position after the election.

"You don’t see it very often. They will have a county attorney. The Board of Supervisors will act on that and engage someone to do that," said Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate.

In Cerro Gordo County, a handful of races will be uncontested in the primary.

"I would say it’s probably more unusual to not have any challengers. But again, this is a unique election and nothing is normal under these circumstances," said Cerro Gordo County Auditor Adam Wedmore.

For example, incumbent Carlyle Dalen is running for County Attorney on the Democratic ballot. That spot on the Republican ballot is empty.

"Probably a lot of that has to do with it being a very Democratic district or a very Republican district. The local candidates are pretty important. So I think the parties do try and fill them when they can," Pate said.

In the governor’s race, only one Democrat has filed to run against incumbent Kim Reynolds. The Secretary of State said this is also not typical, and may reflect Reynolds’ high approval rating and the Republican lean of the state of Iowa.