Wife of Ag Secretary Likely to Challenge to Iowa GOP Rep. King

Christie Vilsack, the wife of Agriculture Secretary and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, will probably vie for the seat of GOP Rep. Steve King, several sources familiar with her thinking told Politico.

Christie Vilsack (AP photo)

Vilsack has been considering such a run for months. Party leaders are eager for Vilsack to take on King, who is strongly backed by the tea party movement. An Iowa Democrat familiar with Vilsack’s planning tells Politico she is considering a move to Ames, Iowa, which would put her in King’s newly drawn 4th district.

Vilsack’s husband apparently is excited about her possible candidacy. “It will be a holy war” if she runs, he told state senators in a private meeting, the Des Moines Register reports.