Iowa Libertarian Party to hold 3rd District nominating convention after Battaglia ends campaign

The Libertarian Party of Iowa will hold a convention Sunday to nominate a new 3rd District candidate to appear on the November ballot after Libertarian Marco Battaglia ended his campaign.

The state party announced Monday Battaglia was ending his campaign because of a medical emergency.

“Our thoughts are with Marco and his family as they focus on his health and recovery,” Iowa Libertarian Party Chair Stephanie Berlin said in a statement. “Out of respect for Marco’s privacy, we will not be sharing additional details. Right now, our focus is on supporting Marco while ensuring the party fulfills its responsibilities under Iowa law and continues to provide voters with a Libertarian choice on the ballot this November.”

Before ending his campaign, Battaglia was in a legal battle to make it back onto the November ballot after being removed by the State Objections Panel in June. The panel had ruled Battaglia did not qualify for the ballot because the name he was running under differed from his legal name, Mark T. Anderson. The candidate had appeared on the ballot using the name “Marco Battaglia” in previous elections.

Battaglia, as well as the Libertarian gubernatorial ticket of Nicholas Gluba and Jules Cutler challenged the State Objections Panel decision to remove them from the general election ballot in court. A Polk County District Court judge upheld the panel’s decisions, but both Gluba and Battaglia said they planned to appeal the ruling. While Battaglia’s appeal may not go forward, the Libertarian Party of Iowa said in a statement the party will continue to support Gluba and Cutler “pursue ballot access through the legal process.”

Because Battaglia ended his campaign, the party is set to hold a nominating convention to replace Battaglia on the ticket Sunday, Aug. 9 — meeting the deadline under Iowa law for political parties to hold conventions and replace candidates that withdraw by Aug. 14. This candidate is set to compete against incumbent U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, a Republican, and Democratic state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott.