After multiple forums, debates and a primary election, the Iowa Republican Party has chosen its nominee for the Secretary of Agriculture.
Mike Naig, who was appointed by Governor Kim Reynolds to fill out the current term after Bill Northey assumed his role at the United States Department of Agriculture, came out of the Republican convention with the nod.
Naig was the highest vote getter in the primary election, coming up just short of the 35 percent needed to secure the nomination outright. At the convention, the winner needed to have 50 percent of the vote, plus one.
Naig faced competition from four other candidates for the nomination: Chad Ingles, Craig Lang, Dan Zumbach and Ray Gaesser. It took four rounds of balloting, with the lowest vote-getter being eliminated for the next round. In the fourth round, Naig defeated Gaesser for the nomination.
Naig now faces Democratic Candidate Tim Gannon in the November general election.
