Another candidate has entered the special election race for the Iowa House District 23 seat. According to The Daily NonPareil, Republican Keith Johnson of Mineola has declared his candidacy for the seat vacated by Mark Costello, who was recently elected to the Iowa Senate. Costello won the special election held for Sen. Joni Ernst’s seat after she was elected to the United States Senate in November 2014.

Johnson is a lifelong Iowan, a graduate of Glenwood High School and served in the Army in 1971. He graduated from Iowa State University with a master’s degree in civil engineering in 1973 He has worked for General Atomics, which is based in San Diego, for 42 years.

The special election will be held Feb. 10. District 23 covers Fremont and Mills counties and two-thirds of Montgomery County. A GOP convention will be held at 7 p.m. tonight (Friday) at the Glenwood American Legion Post, 104 N. Vine St., to nominated the Republican candidate. David Sieck of Glenwood has also entered the race. He was one of the seven candidates who ran for the Senate seat that Costello won.