In a hotly-contested seat in Iowa House District 44, Republican Annette Sweeney prevailed over Democrat Tim Hoy.

Because the Iowa House District 44 was being vacated by incumbent Republican Polly Granzow, both parties saw this as a pivotal race.

Sweeney, a small business owner from Alden noted that, despite being outspent, she was able to garner approximately 1,000 votes more than Eldora businessman Tim Hoy.

"When it came down to it, people were looking at the issues instead of the ads," she said.

Hoy said he was proud of the way his campaign conducted itself over the course of the past year.

"I thought we ran an excellent campaign and thought we kept our punches above the belt, which I was proud of," he said. "We did not go negative on TV or radio and stuck to pertinent issues in print."

However, he did feel there was some negative TV advertising against him which may have soured his name among some voters.

"Until the public reacts differently to negative advertising it will continue to be used," he said.

Sweeney said she will continue to try to be a voice at the statehouse for the traditional family, moral values and individual rights.

"I'm humbled and I am extremely honored that the voters have understood that it's about issues and ideals in an election," she said. "I will fight for our core issues here in our county."

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Contact Ken Black at 641-753-6611 or kblack@timesrepublican.com