Democrat Rich Leopold drops his bid for Iowa governor

DES MOINES (AP) — Democrat Rich Leopold has dropped his bid for Iowa governor in 2018.

Leopold, an ecologist and former director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said he was suspending his campaign as of Wednesday. He was the first Democrat to announce his intentions to seek his party’s nomination.

Leopold said in a Facebook post that he faced challenges in fundraising, but he also criticized an electoral process that he described as being controlled by a small group of people.

More than a half dozen Democrats have announced their own bids or plans to explore a run. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds has filed some paperwork for a run but hasn’t formally announced her plans. Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett said he’s considering a primary challenge against her.

http://www.omaha.com/news/politics/democrat-rich-leopold-drops-his-bid-for-iowa-governor/article_94ec335c-4c14-11e7-a1a1-17f9ecb1fa0c.html (short article)