The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that former Rep. Abby Finkenauer, a Democratic candidate for the Senate, may appear on the state’s primary ballot, rejecting a lower court’s decision that she did not gather enough petition signatures to qualify.

The ruling will allow Finkenauer to continue her race for the Senate and compete in the state’s June 7 primary. Finkenauer, who lost reelection in 2020 after a single two-year term, is seen as her party’s front-runner to challenge longtime Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley.

OHIO REDISTRICTING MAY END DEMOCRATIC REP. MARCY KAPTUR’S 40-YEAR HOUSE CAREER

The Hawkeye State requires by law that candidates for the Senate submit at least 100 signatures from at least 19 counties to qualify for its ballot. A lower court found that failed to meet the requirements of the law since some of the signatures were accompanied by missing or incorrect dates.

A majority of the state’s justices agreed that a lower court judge was wrong when he invalidated three signatures, thus disqualifying Finkenauer.

But the court said the state’s legislature last year specified certain circumstances for objections to signatures.

“The legislature did not include missing or incorrect dates as one of the grounds for sustaining an objection to a petition. We conclude that the recent legislation prevails,” the court said.

Finkenauer, 33, called the previous ruling partisan and called the new ruling “a good day for our democracy.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The winner of the Democratic primary will challenge Grassley later this year and face steep odds to do so. Grassley, 88, was elected to the Senate in 1980 after nearly six years in the House. A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll last month found Grassley’s approval rating was higher than his disapproval rating by a narrow margin in the state.

Original Location: Iowa Democratic Senate hopeful Finkenauer can appear on ballot, high court rules

Washington Examiner Videos