DES MOINES — Mike Naig led the five-man race to become Iowa Republicans’ nominee for state agriculture secretary, but results were incomplete by late Tuesday evening.
And a winner may not be decided even after all the votes are counted.
Naig, the current state ag secretary, led the Republican primary with just more than 35 percent of the vote, according to early results posted on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website just before 11 p.m.
State senator Dan Zumbach was in second place at 22 percent, followed by former Iowa Farm Bureau leader Craig Lang at 18 percent and Ray Gaesser at 16 percent. Chad Ingels was at 8 percent.
Less than half the state’s precincts were reporting at the time.
Naig held the lead late Tuesday, but he was just barely above the 35 percent threshold required to earn the nomination on Election Day.
If no candidate were to reach that threshold, by state law the nominee instead would be chosen at the Iowa Republicans’ state convention on June 16.
At that stage, the election results no longer would be a factor and any of the candidates could win.
The five Republican candidates got in the race after former state ag secretary Bill Northey was appointed to a position in the federal ag department. Northey had held the post since 2007.
Naig, a former deputy state ag secretary, in March was appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds to replace Northey.
There is only one Democrat running for state ag secretary — Tim Gannon, a former aide to Tom Vilsack while Vilsack served as governor and in the federal ag department.
Naig, 40, said his top priority as state ag secretary would be to expand trade markets for state crop and livestock farmers.
Naig said new state funding for water quality programs passed this year by the state legislature and governor was “a positive step forward,” but said he would not recommend state lawmakers raise the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent to provide more water quality funding.
On conservation, Naig said he will continue to bring together stakeholders to encourage collaboration and implementation of practices that support livestock farmers and protect the state’s natural resources.