William Petroski

bpetrosk@dmreg.com

Two more candidates have joined Iowa's general election race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Chuck Grassley.

Charles Aldrich, 59, of Clarion, filed papers Wednesday with the Iowa secretary of state's office as the Libertarian Party candidate, while Michael Luick-Thrams, 53, of Mason City, filed Monday as an independent. Both will appear on the November election ballot along with Grassley and his Democratic challenger, former Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge.

Aldrich is an industrial engineer who unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2008 in Minnesota as a Libertarian Party candidate. He is a Marine Corps veteran who is single and has three adult children.

Aldrich said his top issues include opposition to U.S. involvement in wars now underway; occupations by U.S. troops in foreign countries; and giving taxpayer money to foreign countries and to corporations. He also wants to abolish the U.S. government's relationship with the Federal Reserve.

The Libertarian Party in Iowa says it is also supporting former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson for president, plus more than 20 candidates for the Iowa Legislature. In addition, the party is backing Bryan Jack Holder, of Council Bluffs, who is a partner in a family photography business, for the 3rd District seat in Congress. Holder filed for his candidacy Friday.

Luick-Thrams, an educator and writer who is single, filed about 1,800 signatures with the secretary of state's office in support of his candidacy.

He says the driving motivation throughout his adult life has been to connect people to each other, to voices from the past and to dreams of a better shared future. His background includes a doctorate in modern European history and research on World War II refugees and on German soldiers who were sent to Iowa and other states as prisoners of war.

He has worked in San Francisco in shelters for the homeless and battered women, helped in soup kitchens and AIDS clinics, and served in the Peace Corps in what is now the Czech Republic.

Luick-Thrams' campaign brochure calls for bypassing the Republican and Democratic parties and finding solutions closer to home. He proposes revitalizing Iowa by reviving its rural areas. He also proposes strengthening international ties through teacher-student exchanges and welcoming all individuals who come to live peacefully and productively.

Iowa's 3rd District congressional race also has an independent candidate.

Claudia Addy, of Des Moines, is a retired foot and ankle surgeon who was nominated by petition. She is proposing to bring all political factions together to address fiscal reform and to improve health care, the environment and other issues. She also favors re-evaluating foreign aid and implementing a sliding-scale repayment system for college loans.

The major candidates in the 3rd District race are incumbent U.S. Rep. David Young, R-Van Meter, and Democrat Jim Mowrer, of Des Moines.