Libertarian Party of Iowa Nominates New Ballot Candidates

The Libertarian Party of Iowa State Central Committee nominated Jake Heard for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District and Charles Aldrich as the lieutenant governor nominee to run with gubernatorial candidate Nicholas Gluba. These nominations fill critical vacancies on the 2026 ballot following the disqualification of previous candidates by the State Objections Panel and a Polk County District Court judge.

Previous congressional nominee Marco Battaglia was disqualified because his candidate name did not match his legal name, though he later withdrew citing a medical emergency. Lieutenant governor nominee Jules Cutler was removed for failing to submit a required affidavit of candidacy by the June 2 deadline and subsequently withdrew.

Party Chair Stephanie Berlin stated the new nominations are intended to prevent the disenfranchisement of thousands of voters who signed petitions for the gubernatorial ticket. Berlin noted that a lieutenant governor candidate is a requirement for the gubernatorial candidate to remain on the ballot.