(Update) Liz Mathis Points to Maturity, Familiarity with District, in Response to Selection of GOP's Replacement Candidate for Senate District 34

Update:

Iowa Democrat Liz Mathis is getting rapid experience at dealing with a shifting landscape.

Mathis won Iowa Senate district 18 in a special eletion last fall, only to have to campaign in the newly drawn Iowa Senate district 34 in 2012. 

Not only is her district changing, so is her opponent. Last night, Ryan Flood was selected as the new GOP nominee for the seat. He replaces Randi Shannon, who dropped out to join an alternative government.

No matter, Mathis said today. In a statement today, Mathis said she will continue knocking on doors throughout the district, and subtly points out a few points of distinction between herself and her new opponent.  

Here is what Mathis had to say in a statement emailed to Marion Patch:

No matter who my opponent has been, I have been campaigning since May, knocking on doors throughout District 34 that includes Robins, Hiawatha, Marion, Bertram, Ely, central Cedar Rapids and rural Linn County.  The feedback from constituents has been positive, supportive and it's clear they want someone who lives in the District to represent them, who can make mature and experienced decisions, and who knows what our District's concerns are. 

To her point of maturity and desirability of living in the district, Flood is 26 and had recently been living in Des Moines, although he used to live in Marion. 

Previous coverage:

Former Marion resident and High alumnus Ryan Flood has been officially nominated to replace Randi Shannon as the Republican candidate for the Iowa Senate district 34 seat, which includes Marion.

This occurred at a special meeting of local Republican leaders in Marion on Monday evening, according to KCRG and the Gazette. 

Flood will face former television news anchor , who won a special election for an Iowa Senate seat in November. She and Flood are now campaigning for a seat under newly drawn district boundary lines.

Flood served as Shannon's campaign chairman, according to campaign disclosure forms. Shannon dropped out to become senator of an .

KCRG and Gazette reports that Flood, 26, has a financial background in retirement planning and worked for the Ron Paul presidential campaign, and cites Emma Nemecek of Mount Vernon saying Flood is "pro-life, pro-traditional marriage and supports the 2nd Amendment."

There is an unflattering take on Flood's candidacy by regular columnist Kevin Hall on The Iowa Republican website:

Despite a dearth of strong potential candidates in that district, the only one seemingly interested in running is…Randi Shannon’s campaign chairman Ryan Flood … Yes, really …

There’s no word on if Flood is also cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, but he apparently doesn’t even live in the district. Or the county. Or the state, for the past few months. Flood was working on a “liberty” PAC in Texas after serving on Ron Paul’s Iowa campaign … Ryan Flood has a Des Moines address, was a Polk County delegate to the state convention and also served on the credentials committee … There’s no truth to the rumor that Liz Mathis just gave her staff the next four weeks off …

Flood and Mathis did not immediately return messages seeking comment late Monday evening.