Community college administrator to challenge Steve King in GOP primary

A Republican from Sioux City will challenge long-time incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve King in the 4th District GOP primary next year.

Cyndi Hanson, the executive director of Northeast (Nebraska) Community College’s South Sioux City Extended Campus, announced her candidacy Tuesday, saying she wants to represent the northwest Iowa district with “less politics and more action.”

“I want to be a Republican alternative that is truly reflective of Iowa and the values we cherish,” she said in a statement.

In comments during her announcement event, Hanson explicitly drew a contrast between herself and King, an eight-term incumbent who has built a national reputation for inflammatory rhetoric on issues of race, immigration and Islam.

"I don't believe divisive rhetoric generates solutions or positive dialogue,” Hanson was quoted as saying in the Sioux City Journal. “Seeking to recognize and build upon points of agreement is a far more productive strategy for continued growth and progress of the country.”

Hanson’s background is in community college instruction and administration; prior to leading the Northeast campus, she was a project director, instructor and staff development director at Western Iowa Tech and Wayne State College in Nebraska. She holds a doctorate in education.

King has been a lightning rod for criticism from within and outside the Republican Party for years. In 2016, state Sen. Rick Bertrand, R-Sioux City, ran against him in the primary, losing by almost 30 percentage points.

Although the district is heavily Republican, four Democrats are also seeking to challenge him next year: Spencer City Councilwoman LeAnna Jacobsen, Ames pediatrician John Paschen, retired baseball player J.D. Scholten and Webster City bus driver Paul Dahl.