Vernon leans toward a congressional run

The mayor poured cold water on congressional rumors. But the mayor pro tem  just might be in.

Cedar Rapids City Council member Monica Vernon says she's getting a lot of encouragement to run for the Democratic nomination in the 1st Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley is leaving the seat to run for the U.S. Senate.

Vernon said she's still thinking it over. She'll make her final call soon. But her family has been supportive. Her friends are egging her on.

I say if your friends urge you to run for Congress, you need new friends. But that's just me.

“This is a challenge. You don't take it lightly,” Vernon said. “I think I'm up to it.”

Vernon built a successful business, Vernon Research, and has been active in local government, serving on several boards and commissions before running for City Council in 2007. She was easily re-elected to her District 2 seat in 2011, representing a wide swath of the biggest city in the 1st District. She can try this congressional thing without giving up her council seat.

Vernon's experience with the flood of 2008 and the recovery that followed gives her more experience dealing with the federal government and federal issues than your garden variety city council member in Iowa.

“I'm looking at Congress as quite a dysfunctional creature right now," Vernon said. So her vision is OK.

But running for Congress is a far cry from winning a council district. She's an unknown to most Democratic primary voters in a congressional district that stretches from the Mississippi northwestward to the Minnesota border. That's 20 counties, and includes Dubuque, Marshalltown and the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro.

Vernon switched her party affiliation from Republican to Democrat four years ago, with the fight over same-sex marriage serving as her tipping point. Although they welcome converts with open arms, partisans always seem a little wary of side-switchers.

“I grew up as a Republican, but I feel like the party left me,” said Vernon, whose husband, Bill, is a former state GOP central committee member and national convention delegate. (An archive story I referenced was referring to another Bill Vernon, from Newton, who attended the 1992 convention).

She's running as a “moderate,” fiscally cautious and committed to “human and civil rights.” She's concerned about jobs, health care, education and ag issues, but insists it's too soon for any specifics. Vernon said she doesn't appreciate the "polar" ideological reaches of either party. Although, usually, a candidate does need some of those polar votes to win a primary. And in a midterm election, when fewer independents show up, turning out the party's base will be critical in the general election.

Former House Speaker Pat Murphy of Dubuque is in the primary race, and former state Sen. Swati Dandekar of Marion, another pro-business moderate, is exploring a bid. It's no secret that a lot of Democrats who are less-than-excited with their early choices are still waiting for a “wow” contender to emerge.

Vernon isn't that candidate. But that doesn't mean she can't win. It just means it's going to take a lot of hard work. And some help from those so-called friends.