Banned from the ballot? It’s happened in Iowa before
How times have changed
Someone asked me a few weeks ago who was the most interesting politician I had ever covered. After thinking a few moments, I said one of the most interesting was a guy I hardly had the chance to cover because he was banned from the Iowa ballot.
Much like the Colorado Supreme Court has banned Donald Trump from the ballot, a former chief executive of Iowa was banned from returning to the governor’s office because of a conflict with the constitution.
I moved to Iowa in 1976 and while covering the statehouse, always heard a lot about our former governor, Harold Hughes. A Democrat, Hughes had been a truck driver with an alcohol addiction who somehow overcame it to capture the hearts and minds of Iowans, who elected him governor in 1962. He served until 1968 and then won a narrow election to the U.S. Senate. He served only one term, opting not to run for re-election. After walking away from the senate, Hughes devoted himself to religious work with several foundations in the Washington, DC area.
Meantime, back in Iowa, another popular and well-respected politician had succeeded Hughes as governor. Republican Robert Ray won numerous re-elections and as the 1980s dawned, Ray was making noises about not seeking re-election in 1982. That set off a flurry of other politicians lining up to run for Iowa Governor, including Ray’s lieutenant governor Terry Branstad.
On the Democratic side, though, one of the people who started exploring a run for governor was none other than Harold Hughes. In 1981, he returned to Iowa to line up support.
Having always heard about the guy, but never having covered him, I remember seeing him the first time in 1981 when he walked into a news conference in Des Moines to talk about his plans to return to the Iowa statehouse. Although early in my reporting career, I had covered lots of politicians and had become somewhat jaded but when Hughes walked into the room, I sensed a powerful presence that I had not felt before.
Hughes was a tall, imposing guy. He had a large head with a rugged face that looked like it had just stepped off Mount Rushmore. When he spoke, it was with a deep, resonant voice that dripped with authority. And the things he said! I remember him talking about government needing to serve the neediest Iowans, how it should help people achieve their dreams. Here was a man who had come from humble beginnings, who sank so low in addiction that he nearly committed suicide. He had risen to the pinnacle of Iowa and national leadership, so when he talked about helping to lift people up, it was with an authority few politicians could muster.
In short, the guy had charisma. He might have been spouting the inanest political bromides but it felt in the room like his words came from deep inside his bone marrow – from his soul. I don’t know what that thing is that some politicians have, but he had it in spades.
A constitutional problem
But there was a problem. Hughes had been living in Maryland since leaving the U.S. Senate. The Iowa constitution requires the governor to be 30 years old and to have lived in Iowa for two years prior to the election in which he or she runs. Hughes, a native of Ida Grove had lived nearly all his life in Iowa and had served as both governor and U.S. Senator. He re-established his residency in Iowa when he considered running again, but had he lived here two years, as the constitution requires?
The decision fell to Iowa’s Secretary of State at the time, Republican Mary Jane Odell. I knew Mary Jane well. She was as decent as they come. It was right about this time of year, Christmas time 1981. Odell made the difficult but ultimately correct decision that Harold Hughes, a native son, a shining example of the best Iowa has to offer, could not be on the ballot because he had not lived here for the previous two years.
Hughes ended his campaign before it had hardly begun. And I always felt I missed out covering what might have been the best campaign ever. Hughes was a giant, a legend, as was Bob Ray. I may be alone in my assessment, but I always thought there was no way Ray was going walk away from the governor’s office and let Hughes back in. My guess, and perhaps it’s no more than a political reporter’s fantasy, is that Ray would have wanted to take on Hughes and see who came out on top. For history’s sake. It would have been an epic campaign. A battle for the ages.
Not a victim
It was a different time. Hughes didn’t claim that Iowa Republicans were out to get him. He didn’t cry that Mary Jane Odell had weaponized state government against a political enemy. He didn’t file a lawsuit and an endless string of court appeals. He didn’t claim he was a persecuted victim. He simply withdrew, with grace and humility. He had bumped into the Iowa constitution, and he had lost.
I have no idea if the U.S. Supreme Court will decide that Trump violated the constitution by committing an insurrection in 2020. To me, the wording of the 14th amendment is clear, and if January 6th wasn’t an insurrection against our government, I’d hate to see what is. I’ve been around long enough to have seen two former chief executives try to return to power but bump up against the constitution. And I’ve seen two entirely different ways to handle it.
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It’s always good to be reminded that there are decent people on both sides of the aisle. And decent people react differently than indecent people. Great column, Dave.
I remember covering Hughes and Ray as well. I had the same feeling about Hughes. His charisma was