Incumbent Rep. Brett Barker came out victorious in Tuesday’s primary election to be the Republican candidate for the Iowa House of Representatives District 51 seat.

Barker (R-Nevada), who is now in position for a second term, was challenged by Shane Heintz (R-Nevada).

Within the legislative district, 3,128 ballots were cast. Of the 787 Marshall County ballots in the race, Barker received 583 votes to Heintz’s 203 and one write-in. In Story County, Barker earned 1,506 votes, Heintz received 834 and there was one write-in.

On Wednesday, Heintz said he did all he could do, but Barker outspent his campaign by tens of thousands of dollars. He feels bad for the people who stood behind him and his campaign.

“There was not a single person I met who said ‘Brett Barker is my guy,'” Heintz said. “I am assuming some of those people stayed home.”

He added, unfortunately, that he could not make voters want to know certain information. For example, he said, questions regarding the $22 million in missing state funds to NuCara Specialty Pharmacy remain unanswered from when Barker was the vice president of operations for the company.

“Nevada is also $40 million over budget for the water treatment plant,” Heintz said. “People’s water bills went from $60 to more than $200, and Brett Barker is all over it.”

Whether or not Heintz runs for office in the future is not known. He added that he did not necessarily want the legislative seat.

“I wanted to bring to light to people the things I had heard,” Heintz said. “I am part of Generation X, so you can’t hurt my feelings. I ran a positive campaign with facts. I have no idea what the future holds besides getting work I fell behind on while running the campaign.”

Even though he is disappointed he could not deliver for those who voted for him, he said the sun still rose on Wednesday morning after his loss.

“I was just trying to be a voice for the people who felt they did not have one,” Heintz said. “I guess at this point, those voices will still go unheard.”

Barker will face Democrat candidate Theresa Perin of Rhodes in the November general election for the District 51 seat.

“I’m grateful for the overwhelming support of the voters of Marshall County,” Barker said. “I don’t take their trust for granted and am ready to continue to work hard for Marshall County in Des Moines. I believe that the voters in November will see the same tireless work ethic delivering results for our district.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.