Eddie Mauro becomes the second Iowa Democrat to announce a 2020 Senate run

Democrat Eddie Mauro announced on Monday he is running for the U.S. Senate. The Des Moines businessman has long been active in progressive politics, and in 2018 he made an unsuccessfully bid for the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District.

“We need a United States Senator that will fight for Iowa’s middle-class families, our family farms, the small businesses on Main Street, protect and improve access to affordable healthcare for all Iowans and invest in our renewable energy economy to create jobs and combat the climate chaos and challenge before us,” Mauro said in a press release.

Mauro taught and coached in Des Moines area schools for many years, before starting a commercial insurance business. While coaching baseball at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Mauro led the school’s team to two state championships.

Mauro played a leading role in launching Midwest Victory PAC in February. According to a press release announcing the formation of the PAC, it is “a new statewide coalition of Iowa Democrats” with two immediate goals: “defeat Sen. Joni Ernst and win back the Iowa General Assembly in 2020.” Although Mauro was described as the PAC’s chair in the February press release, he’s no longer listed as part of its leadership on the Midwest Victory site.

In 2018, Mauro finished second in the three-person Democratic primary in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District — Cindy Axne won with 58 percent of the vote. Mauro received 26 percent of the vote, and the other candidate, Pete D’Alessandro, got 16 percent. Axne went on to defeat incumbent Republican Rep. David Young in the general election.

Mauro was able to raise more than $800,000 for that race, although he personally contributed over $500,000 of that amount to his campaign.

In a Monday morning tweet, Mauro said, “I’ve been to nearly 30 counties to hear from Iowans and the message was clear. Iowans want a Senator that will fight for them.”

Mauro is the second Democrat to announce a challenge to Sen. Joni Ernst, the Republican who has represented Iowa in the U.S. Senate since 2015. Earlier this month, Indianola attorney Kimberly Graham declared her candidacy.