Sodders

State Center Mayor and former two-term state senator Steve Sodders announced Tuesday he is dropping out of the Marshall County Auditor/Record race a few weeks before the Nov. 6 general election.

Sodders was the Democratic candidate running against incumbent Republican Nan Benson and entered into the race after the Marshall County Democrats designated him as their nominee for the position.

“I had every intention of serving the public had I won in November, but circumstances have changed and I must remain committed to my family, new professional opportunities and as the mayor of State Center,” Sodders said in a statement. “In my nearly 30 years of public service, whether as a Marshall County sheriff’s deputy, a two-term state senator or in my current role as mayor, I believe I have served the public honorably. Right now, however, I can not commit the full breadth of service necessary to fulfill the requirements of the auditor/recorder’s office.”

Sodders campaigned on voter suppression issues saying he would stick up to Secretary of State Paul Pate.

“The voter-identification laws passed by the Republican-controlled legislature in 2018 disenfranchise voters,” he said.

Sodders is currently employed as a Marshall County deputy sheriff and will officially retire from his position on Nov. 20 after 28 years of service. He first ran for elected office in 2008 when he won a seat in the Iowa Senate.

“I will be forever grateful to those who have supported me in the past and were backing my candidacy this election year,” Sodders said. “My very best to Nan Benson as she continues in her position.”

While Benson is an incumbent, this is the first time she’ll be on the ballot. She was named Marshall County Auditor/Recorder on Oct. 31, 2017, having been appointed to the position by the Marshall County Board of Supervisors to serve the remainder of Deanne Raymond’s four-year term, which began in 2016. In 2017, Raymond moved out of the county requiring her to step down.

Benson is vying for the chance to serve out the remainder of the term, which will expire in 2020.

Because ballots were printed before early voting began Oct. 8, some may have already voted for Sodders and his name will remain on the ballot, said Kevin Hall, communications director for the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office. Even though Sodders has dropped out, votes for him will still be counted, Hall said. The last chance to vote is on election day Nov. 6.

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Contact Emily Barske at

(641) 753-6611 or ebarske@timesrepublican.com