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Naig secures Iowa GOP ag secretary nomination

Iowa ag secretary Mike Naig has secured the Republican party nomination to run for that office in November.

Naig topped four other candidates in voting Saturday at the Iowa Republican Party’s state convention. Naig defeated Ray Gaesser on the final ballot by a margin of 54 to 46 percent. Gaesser is a farmer from Corning and a former president of the American Soybean Association.

Naig, who was previously deputy ag secretary, was appointed to the top spot by Governor Kim Reynolds in March when previous ag secretary Bill Northey left to take a position at the USDA. Naig fell just short of the 35 percent needed in the recent primary election, which moved the decision to the state convention.

Naig will face Democrat Tim Gannon in the November election. Gannon is a former aide to Tom Vilsack in the governor’s office and in the USDA. Gannon did not face primary opposition.