The Libertarian Party of Iowa will hold a last-minute nominating convention to select a new candidate for the state’s 3rd Congressional District after nominee Marco Battaglia experienced a medical emergency preventing him from moving forward with his campaign.
In a statement published August 3, the party announced Battaglia’s exit from the race, saying it would not release further details about his condition out of respect for his privacy. The party added that his departure would not affect its efforts to protect ballot access for its other qualified candidates.
“Our thoughts are with Marco and his family as they focus on his health and recovery,” Libertarian Party of Iowa Chair Stephanie Berlin said. “[…] Right now, our focus is on supporting Marco while ensuring the party fulfills its responsibilities under Iowa law and continues to provide voters with a Libertarian choice on the ballot this November.”
The party said its State Central Committee will meet remotely on August 9 to fill the vacancy, with a discussion of nominations listed on the agenda alongside other routine party business. The deadline to submit a replacement candidate for federal office in Iowa is August 19, meaning the party has just enough time to choose a successor nominee. It has not yet identified anyone seeking to replace Battaglia, though its statement included a link to the agenda and instructions for joining the meeting.
Battaglia’s exit comes after he spent much of the summer fighting to regain his place on the general election ballot following a challenge over the name he chose to list on his nomination papers. The State Objection Panel originally removed Battaglia in June after finding that he had filed under the name “Marco Battaglia” rather than his legal name, Mark T. Andersen.
Battaglia, who previously appeared on the Iowa ballot as the Libertarian nominee for lieutenant governor using the name in 2022, challenged the decision alongside Libertarian gubernatorial nominee Nicholas Gluba and running mate Jules Cutler. The panel separately removed the gubernatorial ticket after finding that Cutler had not filed a required affidavit of candidacy, though Cutler defended herself on the grounds that an employee of the secretary of state’s office had told her the document was not required for a lieutenant governor candidate.
Polk County District Court judges later upheld the removals of Battaglia and the Gluba-Cutler ticket in separate rulings. The ruling in Battaglia’s case also upheld the panel’s decision to keep Rick Stewart on the ballot in the state’s 2nd District, meaning the party will have at least one congressional candidate this cycle. Battaglia said he intended to appeal, though the future of that challenge is uncertain given his exit from the race. Meanwhile, the Libertarian Party of Iowa said it would continue supporting Gluba and Cutler as they pursue their own case.
As of this article’s publication, Battaglia himself has not publicly addressed his departure from the race. In one of his last social media posts before the party’s announcement, however, he endorsed Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand in response to the removal of Gluba and Cutler from the ballot. Battaglia called Sand an “old friend” and said he had told him years earlier that he “would make a fine” governor.
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