Marion Elections Guide

The November election is nearing.

You can tell by the hositlity and political apathy in the air.

As we look ahead to November’s elections, Marion Patch is devoted to bringing you the information you need about every race in town. Here are five that locals are already talking about:

President Barack Obama: Prognosticators call Iowa a battleground state in the presidential race, and two recent visits by President Obama to the Hawkeye State seem to bear that out. In April,  to talk about the need to keep student loan interest rates down, then in May he stumped in Des Moines on the economy, abortion rights, gays in the military and his desire to lead the country forward.

GOP Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney: The former Massachusetts governor has visited the state three times in the past month, usually focusing his comments on the economy. In a May Des Moines appearance, . On June 18 Romney campaigned in Dubuque and Davenport, criticizing President Obama’s policies with dragging down the economy, according to the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald.

Congressman Bruce Braley versus Ben Lange: The Democratic incumbent was thrown into a new First District by re-districting, but it is whether he stands to gain from the new demographic, or his Republican opponent, Ben Lange. Braley was initially elected in 2007. The most recent election, Braley barely beat out Lange, so this November's race should be tight.

Linn County Auditor Joel Miller versus : In an unusual turn, the race for Linn County Auditor has become incredibly heated. Linn County Auditor Joel Miller faced Democratic opponents in the primary, defeating both by a large margin. He faces Republican opponent Garth Fagerbakke.

Iowa Supreme Court retention: Two years ago Iowans ousted three members of the Supreme Court for their support of a unanimous ruling that allowed same-sex marriage in the state. This November, another justice who took part in that ruling, David S. Wiggins, is up for retention. Also up for retention are the three newest justices on the court, who replaced those who lost their seats. The three new justices on the ballot are Thomas D. Waterman, Edward Mansfield and Bruce Zager.