DES MOINES, Iowa—Today, Dr. Thomas Laehn, the County Attorney for Greene County, Iowa, submitted nearly 10,000 signatures to the Iowa Secretary of State, officially qualifying for the 2026 United States Senate race in Iowa.
The Iowa Legislature moved up the deadline for third-party candidates to submit their nomination petitions by 10 weeks in an effort to prevent third-party candidates from qualifying for the ballot. Nevertheless, Laehn easily surpassed the minimum requirement of 3,500 signatures by the June 2 deadline.
According to Laehn’s campaign, the outpouring of support for his candidacy shows that the people of Iowa are excited at the prospect of a credible, third-party candidate. A recent Gallup poll shows 62% of Americans believe the two major parties are doing such a poor job that a third party is needed.
“I am not running against the Republican candidate. I am not running against the Democratic candidate,” Dr. Laehn said. “I am running against the two-party system itself.”
Laehn made history in 2018 when he was elected Greene County Attorney, becoming the first Libertarian to win an elective partisan office in the State of Iowa. He was reelected in 2022.
As a U.S. Senator, Laehn has pledged to introduce legislation to stop eminent domain abuse in Iowa and across the country, to enact meaningful campaign finance reform, and to check the abuse of executive power.
Dr. Thomas Laehn and family
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