Mauro vs. McCoy: Democrats pull no punches in Polk County supervisor primary

Allegations of questionable campaign tactics, shady fundraising and polling place interference have made the race for Polk County supervisor anything but boring.

Two well-known Democrats, incumbent John Mauro, 76, and longtime legislator Matt McCoy, 52, have pulled no punches in the run-up to Tuesday's Democratic primary for the District 5 seat.

A third Democrat, Lou McDonald, 34, withdrew his name from consideration in March after an attorney affiliated with McCoy's campaign challenged the legibility of voter signatures on his nomination papers.

It was the McCoy campaign's attempt to "throw me off the ballot," said McDonald, who worked on campaigns for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and presidential candidate Martin O’Malley. “I thought this was going to be the most boring race on the ballot, but it turned out to be … brutal.”

Jonathan C. Wilson, a donor and personal friend of McCoy, filed the challenge. McDonald said he had three days to file a defense, but he instead decided to withdraw from the race.

McCoy, in an interview with the Des Moines Register this week, said it is "pretty standard" that campaigns review their opponents' signatures. He also said Wilson acted independently on the challenge.

Challenges to signature requirements have brought down several big campaigns in Iowa this year. Republican Ron Corbett's run for governor and Democrat Theresa Greenfield's congressional run were both ended by signature challenges.

► RELATED: Polk County supervisor: John Mauro

► RELATED: Polk County supervisor: Matt McCoy

McCoy, in April, raised concerns about a fundraiser for Mauro's campaign thrown by Prairie Meadows CEO Gary Palmer. Polk County owns the property where the casino and racetrack operate. The county receives roughly $25 million a year from the casino.

“It leaves people scratching their heads, saying, is this appropriate?” McCoy told the Register.

In an interview with the Register last week, Mauro defended the fundraiser and accused McCoy of making baseless accusations.

“Prairie Meadows didn’t hold the fundraiser,” Mauro said. “(McCoy) was making an accusation that wasn’t true.”

Last month, Mauro campaign manager Derek Snyder filed a complaint against McCoy alleging he illegally campaigned at the Polk County Election Office. McCoy said he was part of a group who was advocating for early voting.

"We were within our First Amendment rights to do that," he said.

Campaigning or electioneering of any kind in a polling place is prohibited by Iowa’s election misconduct law. Loitering in a polling place while wearing political items is also illegal. People who violate the law face serious misdemeanor charges that can result in fines up to $1,850 and a year in jail.

“You cannot be around a voting place, especially inside there and shaking people’s hands,” Mauro said. “That’s the biggest no-no I’ve ever heard.”

The complaint was referred to the Polk County Attorney's Office. County Attorney John Sarcone recused himself and referred the issue to a prosecuting attorney for further review.

McDonald bought the online domain mccoyformccoy.com and created a Facebook page criticizing McCoy. A 32-second video showing McCoy outside the election office encouraging early voting is paired with the section of Iowa law he's accused of violating.

His company also paid for mailers with three news articles and a headline that read "Would you trust a Republican who had these headlines?"

"He's clearly bitter," McCoy said. "He's going completely out of his way to try to attack me."

Mauro has served eight terms on the Board of Supervisors. He was first elected in 1990 and served two terms before losing in 1998 to Gene Phillips by a slim margin. That campaign was dubbed a "slugfest" by a Register reporter as each candidate accused the other of manipulating absentee ballots.

Mauro regained the seat in 2002 by defeating Phillips.

McCoy has served 26 years in the Iowa Statehouse, serving two terms in the Iowa House and seven in the Senate. He announced in January that he would not run for the Legislature this fall.

Mauro's campaign raised almost $180,000 ahead of the primary, according to campaign disclosure forms.

His list of donors includes a number of Prairie Meadows casino and racetrack board members. Iowa Cubs owner Michael Gartner contributed $11,000 to Mauro. Knapp Properties CEO Gerry Neugent contributed $2,500, and pesticide titan Dennis Albaugh gave $2,000. Four other board members donated gifts of $50 to $200.

Mauro said there's "nothing illegal" about his contributions from board members.

McCoy has raised about $113,000, including a $25,000 loan the candidate made to the campaign in April.

One of his largest donors is Michael McCoy, his brother, who gave $7,500. Developer Jim Conlin and his wife, Roxanne Conlin, former U.S. attorney, donated a collective $7,000.

Marc Beltrame, an attorney and lobbyist at the Iowa Legislature, donated $10,000 to the McCoy campaign.

The District 5 seat includes portions of central Des Moines, downtown and much of the south side.

The winner of Tuesday's primary will face Libertarian Jocelyn Fry in the November general election. No Republican has announced plans to run for the seat.

Polk County supervisors earn a $115,438 annual salary.