Sorry, but you have to question the character of anyone who remains affiliated with the Republican Party of Trump:
Micah Broekemeier, a 29-year-old former Marine and history student at the University of Iowa, hopes to be the second Republican to win a Johnson County Supervisor spot in the last decade.
Broekemeier transferred to Iowa in 2020, in the thick of the coronavirus pandemic. But he said the transition from Iowa Western Community College wasn’t difficult.
“I had no college experience. I'd never taken (college) classes or anything like that. I just showed up and said, ‘Hey, I guess this is how college works, right?' ” Broekemeier said. “They told me things were a little different this year.”
More:Johnson County sets election June 8 for Supervisor post. Here's what you need to know
He wasn’t in town for long before he caught wind of the area’s nickname, “The Peoples’ Republic of Johnson County.” And he wasn’t daunted by it.
“There's a certain part of you that wants to make the best of the situation and another part of you that wants to improve the situation,” Broekemeier said. “A lot of friends that I met ended up being Democrats, and we had a lot of conversations. I realized that we agree on a lot of the same things. You might not like the silly orange guy with the goofy hair, but I think, you know, you agree with a lot of basic conservative politics, and I agree with a lot of stuff you guys are saying.
“I think there's a lot more room to meet in the middle, and I don't think that's been happening in Iowa City very much."
Broekemeier is seeking the Supervisor seat vacated in April by Janelle Rettig. A special election is scheduled for June 8. The term of office runs through January 2023.
Broekemeier’s pitch to Johnson County voters, Republican and Democrat, is that adding a crosscutting ideology opens the potential for discussion and debate, perhaps leading to better policy and more transparency.
“When you only have one voice, you know, only one party representing it, you sort of start speaking along the same lines and you don't have another voice out there (to) bring it up, either whether it be the counterpoint or the devil's advocate, if you will,” Broekemeier said.
Broekemeier was born in Portland, Oregon, but grew up in Springfield, Nebraska, a town of 1,500 people southwest of Omaha. He graduated from high school in 2010 and joined the U.S. Marine Corps.
After five years that included deployments in Asia and Afghanistan, he decided to do something different. He got an aviation mechanic licensure — a civilian equivalent to his role in the military — but ended up working for a remodeling company in Council Bluffs.
He met his wife in 2017 and decided to go back to school.
In the past, Johnson County Republicans have run Phil Hemingway for Supervisor openings. Hemingway, who owns a mechanic's shop, told the Press-Citizen he wasn't interested in running this time, wanting to focus on family.
Were Republicans to nominate Broekemeier, he'd be one of the youngest candidates across the county.
“I got connected to a couple different people through the Johnson County (Republicans) Central Committee, and basically started talking to people and saying, 'I'm hearing all these issues, and I hear that there's a lot going on right now.' But maybe it just takes a new face to get out there and actually run somebody,” he said.
According to Karen Fessler, Broekemeier is one of two Republican candidates who have announced intentions to seek the nomination. The Press-Citizen reached out multiple times to Clay Warren, the other candidate, with no response.
Whoever wins will have a difficult road. Fifty-two percent of Johnson County active registered voters were Democrats, the highest percent of any Iowa county, according to the Secretary of State’s April 2021 registration numbers. Just 18% of active registered voters were Republicans, the smallest of any Iowa county.
But that leaves plenty of voters not affiliated with any party. And special elections tend to draw low turnout, offering an opportunity for a Republican to overcome the stark numeric odds. While he was ousted the next year, it was a special election that won John Etheredge a county supervisor seat in 2013, the first Republican to hold countywide office in 50 years.
“Having somebody that openly represents the Republican Party, I think would go a long way to assuage maybe some of the fears that some people within Johnson County have that the Republican voices aren’t being represented,” Broekemeier said.
Micah Broekemeier, a 29-year-old former Marine and history student at the University of Iowa, hopes to be the second Republican to win a Johnson County Supervisor spot in the last decade.
Broekemeier transferred to Iowa in 2020, in the thick of the coronavirus pandemic. But he said the transition from Iowa Western Community College wasn’t difficult.
“I had no college experience. I'd never taken (college) classes or anything like that. I just showed up and said, ‘Hey, I guess this is how college works, right?' ” Broekemeier said. “They told me things were a little different this year.”
More:Johnson County sets election June 8 for Supervisor post. Here's what you need to know
He wasn’t in town for long before he caught wind of the area’s nickname, “The Peoples’ Republic of Johnson County.” And he wasn’t daunted by it.
“There's a certain part of you that wants to make the best of the situation and another part of you that wants to improve the situation,” Broekemeier said. “A lot of friends that I met ended up being Democrats, and we had a lot of conversations. I realized that we agree on a lot of the same things. You might not like the silly orange guy with the goofy hair, but I think, you know, you agree with a lot of basic conservative politics, and I agree with a lot of stuff you guys are saying.
“I think there's a lot more room to meet in the middle, and I don't think that's been happening in Iowa City very much."
Broekemeier is seeking the Supervisor seat vacated in April by Janelle Rettig. A special election is scheduled for June 8. The term of office runs through January 2023.
Broekemeier’s pitch to Johnson County voters, Republican and Democrat, is that adding a crosscutting ideology opens the potential for discussion and debate, perhaps leading to better policy and more transparency.
“When you only have one voice, you know, only one party representing it, you sort of start speaking along the same lines and you don't have another voice out there (to) bring it up, either whether it be the counterpoint or the devil's advocate, if you will,” Broekemeier said.
Broekemeier was born in Portland, Oregon, but grew up in Springfield, Nebraska, a town of 1,500 people southwest of Omaha. He graduated from high school in 2010 and joined the U.S. Marine Corps.
After five years that included deployments in Asia and Afghanistan, he decided to do something different. He got an aviation mechanic licensure — a civilian equivalent to his role in the military — but ended up working for a remodeling company in Council Bluffs.
He met his wife in 2017 and decided to go back to school.
In the past, Johnson County Republicans have run Phil Hemingway for Supervisor openings. Hemingway, who owns a mechanic's shop, told the Press-Citizen he wasn't interested in running this time, wanting to focus on family.
Were Republicans to nominate Broekemeier, he'd be one of the youngest candidates across the county.
“I got connected to a couple different people through the Johnson County (Republicans) Central Committee, and basically started talking to people and saying, 'I'm hearing all these issues, and I hear that there's a lot going on right now.' But maybe it just takes a new face to get out there and actually run somebody,” he said.
According to Karen Fessler, Broekemeier is one of two Republican candidates who have announced intentions to seek the nomination. The Press-Citizen reached out multiple times to Clay Warren, the other candidate, with no response.
Whoever wins will have a difficult road. Fifty-two percent of Johnson County active registered voters were Democrats, the highest percent of any Iowa county, according to the Secretary of State’s April 2021 registration numbers. Just 18% of active registered voters were Republicans, the smallest of any Iowa county.
But that leaves plenty of voters not affiliated with any party. And special elections tend to draw low turnout, offering an opportunity for a Republican to overcome the stark numeric odds. While he was ousted the next year, it was a special election that won John Etheredge a county supervisor seat in 2013, the first Republican to hold countywide office in 50 years.
“Having somebody that openly represents the Republican Party, I think would go a long way to assuage maybe some of the fears that some people within Johnson County have that the Republican voices aren’t being represented,” Broekemeier said.
Ex-Marine Micah Broekemeier hopes to overcome odds, elect a Republican in Johnson County
Broekemeier, a 29-year-old history student at Iowa, believes he can be a uniting voice if he is elected to Johnson County Board of Supervisors.
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