Western Iowa doctor to seek Democratic Party’s US Senate nomination

MINDEN — Another Democrat intends to seek their party’s U.S. Senate nomination and the chance to challenge Republican incumbent Chuck Grassley in 2022.

Minden City Councilman Glenn Hurst is a physician who also chairs the party’s Rural Caucus. Hurst says Democrats can win over rural voters.  “They want to be able to buy groceries in their town. They want to be able to have good, stable jobs and live in safe communities and we have to give people the opportunity to do that,” Hurst says. “We have to tell them: we value a rural lifestyle and we’re willing to fight for it.”

Hurst, who specializes in general and family medicine, works in Minden and two other clinics in western Iowa. He says health care access is a key issue.  “I stand firmly on the believe that to save our rural communities we are going to have to invest in Medicare for All,” he says. “That is the solution for rural Iowa, that along with other components, such as supporting our labor movement.”

Former Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer of Cedar Rapids and former Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer are also planning to run in the Democratic Primary. Grassley has said he’ll announce this fall if he plans to run for an eighth term.