Democratic Senator Tom Harkin announced last year he was retiring. It’s been decades since Iowa’s had an open senate seat.
There are five candidates on the Republican side: State Senator Joni Ernst, Former Energy Executive Mark Jacobs, Ames businessman Scott Schaben, Morningside Economics Professor Sam Clovis and former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker.
Soon after Senator Harkin announced he was retiring Iowa’s First District Democratic Congressman Bruce Braley quickly entered the race. Iowa Public Radio's Clay Masters talks with University of Northern Iowa Political Scientist Donna Hoffman about how the race is playing out two weeks ahead of the primary election on June 3.