Iowa Dem announces bid for Rep. Latham's seat

Iowa businessman Mike Sherzan (D) announced his bid for the seat held by Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa) on Monday.

"The old Washington ways aren't working. It's time for a new approach to break through the gridlock and get something done," Sherzan said in a statement.

Sherzan, who has been recruited by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is the first Democrat to enter the race. The district is competitive, though it leans a bit Republican, and Latham defeated former Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) by a comfortable margin there in 2012 after their districts were combined.

Latham is mulling a bid for the Senate, which would give Democrats a better chance at picking up the seat.

Three of Iowa's four congressmen are seriously considering running for retiring Sen. Tom Harkin's (D-Iowa) seat, which could lead to a number of open-seat House races, all in districts that could be competitive.

This post was updated at 6:55 p.m. to correct the district Sherzan is running in. He will run in Latham's district.