Location, Location, Location
That’s the mantra in real estate…properties move on the market based on a prime or desired location.
Iowa law does not require a candidate for federal office, like Congress, to live in the district they represent. It still seems like a good idea, something that voters would consider. And we’ve seen plenty of examples of a sitting incumbent changing their residence after redistricting, to avoid running against another incumbent or to have a clearer path to victory.
Recently, first district congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks drew attention when she changed her official residence from a rental in the Quad Cities back to her family home in Ottumwa. That was part of the district when she was first elected, but not after redistricting. That’s when she listed addresses in the Quad Cities as her official home. Now, a change back, but still a plan to run for re-election in her current district.
But while the Quad Cities apparently lost one resident, it recently picked up another in a move MS-NOW is suggesting has political implications.
Kari Lake is a native of the area, and a journalism graduate of the University of Iowa. She had a long career as a TV anchor and reporter in Arizona before turning her attentions toward politics, running for governor and U.S. Senate from that state…losing both campaigns in elections that are still being analyzed for fairness.
She currently holds a job in the Trump Administration, but MS-NOW reports that late last year, she closed on a real estate deal in Davenport, not far from the high school she attended. They say official property records from Scott County show the November sale of the two-bedroom condominium in a brick apartment building in Davenport to a family trust controlled by Lake…and they note that the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Charles Grassley is on the 2028 ballot.
They also remind us, as we’ve previously discussed, that last year as Sen. Joni Ernst was deciding whether or not to support certain Trump cabinet nominees, Lake scheduled some public speaking appearances in Iowa as a not-so-subtle suggestion that should Sen. Ernst not vote appropriately, Lake might pose a primary challenge. Once the votes were cast, the public appearances were cancelled.
Lest you think that Iowa does not welcome folks back…remember the actor Fred Grandy, who was born in Sioux City and returned there to establish residence and run for Congress, serving four terms before attempting a run for Iowa governor.
Many of us think about moving back to our native areas at a certain point in life. But something tells me Kari Lake’s purchase of property in Iowa, and the first district, is more than just a twinge of nostalgia, or a desire to be closer for her next high school reunion.
