Sharon DeGraw announced on Friday afternoon that she was dropping out of the race for the open Iowa City Council seat in District C. DeGraw attributed her decision to “a personal matter,” and said she was “requesting privacy from the press and the public.”
DeGraw’s unexpected last-minute entry in the race brought the number of candidates to three, necessitating a Feb. 4 primary prior to the March 4 special election. Even though there are just two active candidates left for the District C seat, the primary will still be held next week and DeGraw’s name will still appear on the ballot. DeGraw’s decision came well past the date by which candidates could have their name removed from the ballot. Early voting in the primary began on Jan. 15.
The two remaining candidates competing in the primary — Ross Nusser and Oliver Weilein — will participate in a candidate forum Monday hosted by the Johnson County League of Women Voters. The hour-long forum will be held in the assembly room of the Iowa City Senior Center (28 S Linn St). It is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., and will be livestreamed on the Johnson County chapter of the League’s Facebook page and recorded for later broadcast on City Channel 4.
Only registered voters in District C, which includes downtown Iowa City and the Northside, will be able to vote in the primary. All voters in Iowa City will be able to vote for the remaining two candidates in the March 4 special election.
