Dooley

ALBION — Wade Dooley, a Democrat and sixth generation Marshall County farmer, announced on Wednesday that he will end his campaign for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Citing the all-consuming nature of a statewide race, Dooley said he needed to put family first, especially with the impending birth of their first child.

“This is my first foray into statewide campaigning, and it’s been an eye-opener,” Dooley said. “The amount of time, staff and money that it takes is truly daunting. And at this point in our lives, all of that is too much.”

Dooley thanked the volunteers across the state who collected more than 3,900 signatures from 89 counties in less than six weeks, which would have qualified him to get on the ballot.

“I’m gratified and humbled by the dedication of all these volunteers,” said Dooley, “and by how many people urged me to run to speak for younger farmers, for our smaller communities that are struggling to stay viable, for local food systems, and for a sustainable future for our agricultural state. I cannot thank them enough!”

With Dooley’s departure, author and former University of Iowa researcher Chris Jones is the only Democratic candidate left in the race as Republican Mike Naig seeks a third term in office.

“The status quo isn’t working, and hasn’t worked for years. But I hope those running will remember that just lecturing people won’t solve the urgent problems we’ve got to address,” Dooley said. “Instead, we need to build coalitions across the spectrum, all ages, all walks of life, all political ideologies. Iowa works best when we work together as a community. This is our state and our future; it’s up to us to fix it. Cancer rates, water quality, lack of opportunity for everyone — especially young farmers — all leave the future of Iowa agriculture in doubt. These are urgent issues and though I’ll no longer be addressing them from the campaign trail, I’m still committed to solving them, by working together on goals we can agree on, finding methods that actually work.”