Charles Aldrich, the Libertarian candidate in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, speaks on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair on August 11, 2024. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Charles Aldrich, the Libertarian politician running in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, told reporters at the Iowa State Fair on Sunday that he was not concerned about challenges to Libertarian candidates on the state’s ballots.
Iowa voters with ties to Republican politics have challenged the candidacies of three Libertarian candidates from Iowa: Aldrich, 3rd Congressional District candidate Marco Battaglia, who spoke earlier Sunday, and 1st Congressional District candidate Nicholas Gluba. They allege that the Libertarian Party of Iowa has not held county conventions to nominate congressional candidates.
While other Libertarians, including Battaglia and presidential candidate Chase Oliver, addressed the challenges in their speeches on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox, Aldrich said the issue was “not really worth mentioning because I think it was flawed from the beginning.”
“This is something that — what they’re arguing is that we didn’t have county participation to get us on the ballot, and we did,” Aldrich said. “We selected people who were going to come to the next convention, because we had the convention earlier in the year, selected people who were going to come to the most recent convention after the primaries, and selected who was going to be on the ballot for open positions. So what they’re saying is incorrect.”
Aldrich said the objections will be heard by the three-person State Objection Panel on Sept. 28.
If the challenge is defeated, Aldrich will face incumbent U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra and Democrat Ryan Melton for the 4th District seat in November. Melton, speaking at the state fair Sunday, endorsed the Libertarian candidates who would be on the ballot.
“The Republican leadership in the state is challenging the ballot access of my friends here, Marco and Chuck. And you know, I think voters deserve as much choice as we should give them,” Melton said. “And so the fact that the Republican Party is trying to stop that is appalling, and I’m going to do everything I can to help you.”
Aldrich said during his speech that he was running because the federal government “does not adhere to the Constitution.” He criticized Feenstra for writing legislation that he said violates constitutional norms.
Feenstra, the Republican incumbent, is seen by election forecasters as the heavy favorite to win the district that has long been conservative.
While Aldrich called for a shrinking of the federal government — advocating for the abolition of the federal tax system and the U.S. Department of Education — he also said the U.S. government is failing in its duty to protect the southern border.
“The people who come in are not screened,” he said.
