Democrat Julie Lasche Brown launches Iowa Senate campaign, challenging Claire Celsi

A former chair of the West Des Moines Democrats announced Wednesday she is running for state Senate, launching a primary challenge against Sen. Claire Celsi, D-West Des Moines.

Julie Lasche Brown, who led fundraising and membership efforts for the region's party for three years, said in a news release that "it is time for representation in the Iowa Senate that has a positive outlook for not only our community but our state."

"I am ready to hit the ground running on day one with a solutions-focused attitude and hope for a bright future," Lasche Brown said.

Her campaign priorities are "reproductive freedom, keeping public dollars in public schools, restoring Iowa's natural beauty by protecting our waterways, rivers and streams, and working across the aisle" to represent the district.

She will face an incumbent Democrat in Celsi, who in January confirmed she would run for a third Senate term.

Celsi has touted her work to increase government transparency while in the Legislature, as well as her work on several nonprofit, state and local boards. She has also focused on Medicaid and called for further oversight and accountability for deaths in Iowa's nursing homes.

"My constituents have expressed clearly to me that they want a senator who is active in the district and community," Celsi said in her January campaign announcement. "I'm going to keep showing up, because that's what I do."

The district encompasses the western suburbs of Windsor Heights, Clive and West Des Moines. Celsi won re-election to the seat in 2022 with 58.2% of the vote.

Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at [email protected]m or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Democrat Julie Lasche Brown to run for Iowa Senate vs. Claire Celsi