IRWIN, Iowa – Republican Bret Richards is the first candidate in Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District to gather the necessary signatures to have his name placed on the 2020 Republican primary ballot. Republican candidates in the congressional district next year are required to gather 1,874 signatures, which is 1 percent of the total number of votes cast for the party’s 2018 gubernatorial nominee, Gov. Kim Reynolds. Candidates must also gather eligible voters’ signatures equal to at least 1 percent of the GOP vote in at least 20 of the district’s 39 counties. Iowans seeking federal offices must file their nomination petitions with the Secretary of State Paul Pate’s office between Feb. 24 and March 13, 2020.

(R) Bret Richards 4th District congressional candidate.

Campaign spokesperson Eric Woolson says the Richards campaign has gathered more than 3,650 signatures to date, topped the 1-percent threshold in 26 counties and has already collected signatures in every county. The Shelby County businessman and U.S. Army veteran spent the summer at almost 30 county fairs, listening to thousands of voters who, according to the campaign, says “want a representative focused on fixing America’s health care system, securing our borders and making immigration laws work, and solving the debt crisis.”

Bret Richards earned an ROTC scholarship to the University of Iowa to study civil engineering and served as a U.S. Army officer in the United States and Germany. He and his wife, Jill, returned to Irwin to work in the family business, which included a chain of convenience stores that employed more than 300 Iowans, and raise their three children. In addition to working at a full time job, he continued his education and earned a master’s degree in leadership and a Ph.D in human capital management, both from Bellevue University. Since the family business was sold in 2015, Richards has held several adjunct professor positions teaching all levels of students, currently at Creighton University. He has also stepped up to serve his community in a variety of roles, including as mayor of Irwin, coach of the local Little League team, and board member for the Manning Regional Healthcare Center.