Iowa Libertarian Party Chairman denounces decision to delete ballots
Iowa Libertarian Party Chair Stephanie Berlin reacts to the decision to remove Marco Battaglia from the vote in the 3rd Congressional District race.
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden is calling for an investigation into Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for allegedly illegally interfering in two highly targeted Iowa legislative elections.
Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, filed a complaint on Tuesday, July 14, accusing Kennedy of violating the Hatch Act, a 1939 law that restricts certain political activities by federal employees. A recording of a conversation in which Kennedy allegedly persuaded a third-party candidate to withdraw from the 2026 midterm elections that could thwart Republican control of the U.S. House of Representatives has been exposed by news outlets.
“For 16 months, Kennedy has used his public office to undermine the health and well-being of his fellow citizens, and now he is also using his public office to undermine the integrity of our democratic elections,” Wyden said in a letter to the special counsel’s office.
The allegations come as President Trump is sending Kennedy as a delegate to battleground states across the country to promote efforts to encourage healthy eating and exercise as part of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign.
In a statement responding to Wyden’s allegations, an HHS spokesperson disputed the allegations of Hatch Act violations and said, “We leave it to Sen. Wyden to politicize the administration’s efforts to make America healthy again.”
Mr. Wyden’s complaint stems from Mr. Kennedy’s two phone calls to two Iowa Libertarian candidates — Rick Stewart in Northeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District and Marco Battaglia in south-central Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District — suggesting they withdraw from their respective races.
Mr. Stewart said he received a phone call from Mr. Kennedy on June 11, and Mr. Battaglia said he received a call on June 8.
The state board then removed Mr. Battaglia from the District 3 ballot because his nomination papers did not match his legal name, Mark T. Andersen. He is suing to appeal this decision.
Both seats are highly competitive and will help determine whether Democrats control the House, but Republicans fear they could threaten President Trump’s ability to carry out the rest of his agenda in his second term. Third-party candidates could be a spoiler for Republican candidates in these seats.
The Iowa Libertarian Party condemned what they called a “Republican intimidation campaign.”
“Iowans of all backgrounds rolled up their sleeves and put these candidates on the ballot the right way, one signature at a time,” Iowa Libertarian Party Chair Stephanie Berlin previously said in a statement. “Now that we have earned our place squarely, the Republican Party is trying to take it away from us through bullying, bribery, and lawyers. It won’t work. We’re not going anywhere. Iowa voters deserve a real choice.”
Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Capitol and politics for the Register. Contact her by email: mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow @marissajpayne on X.
