Three local candidates made their cases for why people should choose them for two Iowa Legislative spots and one Marshall County Board of Supervisors seat during the Marshall County Democrats Spring Picnic at Riverview Park last Thursday.

Former Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper is the only Democrat on the primary ballot for Iowa House of Representatives District 52. He will face incumbent Republican David Blom of Marshalltown in the November general election.

Drawing laughter from the crowd, Tupper joked about his one-minute speech limit, saying it was impossible to stick to that time frame. He stressed that he is neither a public speaker nor a politician.

“If you’re looking for a political speech, you’re not going to get that from me,” Tupper said. “I’m not a politician, which I think is a good thing because I think we need fewer politicians in Des Moines and more average Iowans in Des Moines who want to actually help people.”

District 52 encompasses Marshalltown, a community which he said he loves and has called home for the last 15 years. Once he retired from the MPD chief position after 13 years and 32 total years in law enforcement, Tupper discovered he missed public service.

“People say to me, who are Democrats, how can a police officer be a Democrat?” he said. “Democrats cannot be police officers. I’m a proud Democrat because I care about people. I love people.”

In 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd riots, Iowa communities were struggling with police department relationships, Tupper said. Marshalltown was not because of a solid relationship that did not exist before he got here in 2011. That relationship was built during several years, Tupper said.

“Then I have my Republican friends say, ‘You’re a police officer. You can’t be a Democrat,'” he said. “Police officers are supposed to be Republican. No. I’m a Democrat because I care about people. We’re going to work for people and that’s why I’m running for office. I’m not doing this because I want to be a career politician. I’m not doing this because I need more public speaking, because I do not. I’m doing this because I love this community and I want to make a difference.”

Tupper said he wants to bring common sense and critical thinking skills back to Des Moines, both of which he feels the incumbent lacks.

“I think I have an opportunity to make a difference in my community,” he said.

While Teresa Perin of Rhodes will be on the June ballot, she is also the only Democrat in the Iowa House of Representatives District 51 race. She will face off against the primary election winning Republican — either incumbent Brett Barker or challenger Shane Heintz, both of Nevada, in November.

Noting that District 51 is largely rural, she said revitalizing those communities is very important to her. She wants to bring back small-minded communities again, which are being hollowed out by big agriculture.

A Marshalltown High School English teacher, Perin said education is also important to her and will make that a focus if elected.

Running for one of two Marshall County Board of Supervisors seats is another retired law enforcement officer — former Marshall County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Deputy DeMorris Dean. He told attendees he is also a 29-year military veteran.

Not only was he asked if he was concerned about being a Democrat in a majority Republican area, he was asked if he would be able to keep quiet. Dean faced the same questions while in the military, as most soldiers are Republican.

“I was asked how I could be a Democrat and I told them it was very easy – you don’t make sense,” he said, drawing laughter.

Dean is running for the county seat because he cares, he told them.

“I have not seen representation at the county level from a Democrat for probably 10, 12 years,” Dean said. “I also don’t see the board of supervisors right now. Working for them, I didn’t see them at the table when we were doing collective bargaining. I want to be there for you, them and everyone in our county. I want to make sure we are talking about community issues, that we are bringing rural and urban together so we can move forward.”

Being a presence in the county and bringing problem solving to the table are both areas he will focus on.

“We’ve got quite a few things going on, but I’m not seeing common sense practicalities [applied],” Dean said. “That’s why I want to be the next supervisor.”

Dean is the only Democrat on the primary ballot for the supervisors. Four Republican candidates will be on the June ballot for two county seats – Tony Reed, Bill Schendel and incumbents Jarret Heil and Carol Hibbs. Dean will face the two Republicans who receive the most votes in the June primary. Fellow Republican Christian Goodman, who was appointed to replace his late father Kevin earlier this year, is running to serve out the remainder of that term until 2028 against Independent Kyle Hall.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.