West Des Moines Democrat to Challenge Tom Latham for Congressional Seat

West Des Moines Democrat Mike Sherzan announced his candidacy for U.S. House in Iowa's 3rd Congressional District Monday, according to KCCI.com.

The 61-year-old financial services broker's announcement in a Monday press statement makes him the first 2014 candidate for the district, which includes Dallas and Polk counties and all of southwest Iowa.

Ten-term Republican Rep. Tom Latham, of Clive, was elected in November to the seat. Latham is considering a bid for U.S. Senate after Democrat Tom Harkin said he will not seek re-election in 2014. A Latham Senate campaign would likely prompt other Democrats to consider running for his House seat, KCCI says.

Harkin's decision to retire at the end of 2014 has already prompted 1st District Rep. Bruce Braley, a four-term Democrat from Waterloo, to announce his candidacy last week for Harkin's Senate seat.

One day after Braley's announcement, a Des Moines Register poll found Iowans' top choice for the seat is former Democratic governor Tom Vilsack.

Fifty-six percent of Iowans said Vilsack would be an appealing Senate candidate, while 35 percent said he would not be an appealing candidate.

Vilsack, who is the current U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, hasn't expressed interest in the seat, though he hasn't dismissed the possibility either, the newspaper said.

Here is Sherzan's news release about his candidacy:

“The old Washington ways aren’t working. It’s time for a new approach to break through the gridlock and get something done.”

Des Moines, IA – Iowa small businessman, Democrat Mike Sherzan announced today that he is filing the necessary paperwork for a campaign for Congress in Iowa’s Third Congressional District. 

Sherzan is a small business leader with a proven track record of growing businesses from the ground-up --- while creating jobs and opportunity here in Iowa. 

Sherzan began working in financial services over 35 years ago and today is the president and chief executive officer of Broker Dealer Financial Services Corp. The firm is now one of the largest independent broker dealers in the state. Starting first as a commercial carpet salesman after graduating from the University of Iowa, Sherzan then became an investment advisor and eventually started his own small business. From a small office in central Iowa, Sherzan went on to create hundreds of jobs in Iowa and nationwide as a full service investment firm and insurance agency.

Mike Sherzan said, “Raised by my parents in Iowa -- a salesman and a clerical worker -- they taught me the importance of hard work, opportunity, and community. That’s what Iowa has always been about. That everyone deserves a fair shot at the American dream. Somewhere along the way, too many in Washington have forgotten that. Instead, they’ve become part of the problem, putting special interests first, ahead of the middle class. They spend their time trying to push through a radical agenda, instead of growing jobs, strengthening Social Security and Medicare, and creating greater opportunity. I look forward to meeting with people all across Iowa, working together to begin to break through the old Washington ways, and instead solving problems to move Iowa forward – together.”

Mike resides in West Des Moines with his wife of 35 years – Susan. They have three children and four grandchildren all living here in Iowa.

For more information, go to: www.sherzanforiowa.com

The Bleeding Heartland blog said this about Sherzan's background:

With more than 34 years of experience in the securities industry, Mike serves as President and CEO of [West Des Moines-based] Investment Advisors Corp. and as chairman of the board of the firm's parent company, BDFSC Holdings Corp. Mike is a member of the National Futures Association's Introducing Broker Advisory Committee and is a past member of the Security Industry Association's CEO Roundtable, Group E. He holds an MBA degree from the University of Iowa and holds FINRA Series 7, 63, 24, 27, 65 and 3 licenses as well as Life, Annuity & Health Insurance licenses.

The blog also has an excerpt from a piece Sherzan had in the Des Moines Register after November's presidential election. It says in part:

"As citizens our victory is not whether our candidate won the political contest, but how successful we are advancing our common goals through legislative cooperation and compromise. … We will continue to debate and agree to disagree on issues important to each one of us. That is what made our nation great in the first place."

"As president of an investment firm, with clients who depend upon improving equity values, the last four years could have been much worse," Sherzan said, noting that the Dow Jones industrial average rose 38 percent to 13,245.68 between Obama's reelection Tuesday and his initial win Nov. 4, 2008. "The country yearns for both sides to work together to resolve our economic challenges.

"We need to work together to lower the deficit. We need to work together to create a fair tax structure. In short, we need to learn to compromise."