Storm Lake resident Mike Frantz is entering the race for Iowa Senate District 3, launching a campaign he says he never expected to run.
Frantz announced his run Sunday in a post on his Substack blog, Mike’s Travel Quips and Stories, telling readers that the decision came together in a matter of days—and only after a wave of encouragement from across northwest Iowa.
District 3 covers all of Buena Vista, O’Brien, and Osceola counties, along with portions of Cherokee and Clay counties. The seat is currently held by Republican Lynn Evans of Aurelia, who is seeking re-election.
Frantz, a retired college admissions, financial aid, and marketing consultant, says he’s long followed politics closely. But becoming a candidate? That wasn’t part of the plan.
He says his first instinct was to decline.
District 3 has been reliably Republican for years. But Frantz says party leaders urged him to think beyond the odds and focus on giving voters a choice.
Frantz says he agreed to run only after confirming he wouldn’t be doing it alone. County party committees across the district began collecting signatures, and he says the support has been broader—and more personal—than he expected.
He’s already begun traveling the district, meeting with county chairs and community members. And he’s making a promise he says he intends to keep.
Frantz says his campaign is still in its early stages—completing legal paperwork, setting up a bank account, and preparing fundraising tools. But he’s also shaping a platform he describes as both firm in its values and flexible enough to grow as he hears from voters.
His three broad priorities: strengthening education from kindergarten through college, expanding personal freedoms, and relying on science to guide policy decisions on issues like water quality and public health. He says those themes reflect what he’s hearing from residents—and what he hopes to bring to the race.
Frantz says he’s running as a Democrat, but he’s not interested in limiting his message to one party. He wants to reach independents, disaffected Republicans, and voters who haven’t participated before.
He expects to file his nomination papers next week. Updates will continue on his Substack blog, which can be found at mikefrantz.substack.com, and he says a campaign website and Facebook page are coming soon.
For Frantz, the campaign is about more than a seat in Des Moines. It’s about asking northwest Iowans to re‑engage — and to imagine what representation could look like.
