DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) — Taylor Wettach said that because of a deal that his law firm made with President Donald Trump, he quit his job, moved back to Iowa, and is now running for Congress in the state’s First Congressional District.
Wettach, a Democrat from Muscatine, previously worked as an attorney for one of the law firms targeted by President Trump for representing clients that either directly opposed him or political causes aligned with him.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett was one of the five firms that agreed to provide $125 million in free legal work for political causes supported by the Trump administration, so that Trump wouldn’t attempt to punish them through an presidential executive order.
Wettach said that action by the firm helped convince him to move back to Iowa with his wife and begin a campaign for Congress.
Wettach is the fourth Democrat to announce a campaign in the district. Christina Bohannan, a University of Law professor from Iowa City, announced that she would run for a third time. Bob Krause, a former state representative and veterans’ advocate from Burlington, and Travis Terrell, a health care worker from Tiffin, also launched campaigns.
U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, the incumbent Republican from Davenport and Ottumwa, has not announced her re-election campaign. She faces a possible Republican primary against Davenport businessman David Pautsch.
About the author: Midwest native Dave Price is Gray Television’s Iowa Political Director for nine stations that broadcast in the state and has been covering local, state and national politics from Iowa since 2001.
Dave produces and hosts “Inside Iowa Politics,” a weekly, in-depth show focused on interviews with top leaders on politics, issues, challenges and solutions that impact the state.
He has written two books about the Iowa Caucuses (“Caucus Chaos” and “Caucus Chaos Trump”). Email him at dave.price@gray.tv. Follow him on X (Twitter): @idaveprice Meta/Facebook: DavePriceNews Instagram: idaveprice and LinkedIn: Dave Price.
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