Government : Libertarian Candidate arrested in Washington D.C.

In January the Libertarian Party of Iowa endorsed Rick Stewart, of Cedar Rapids, as their candidate for Governor. He is running alongside Marco Battaglia, of Des Moines, as his running mate.

Stewart founded Frontier Natural Products Co-op in Norway, Iowa but has since retired.

In Stewart's announcement in part he said:

"I'm running for Iowa Governor because it is time for a governor for all Iowans and not just for members of a particular political party. It is time for a governor to unabashedly stand for ending Iowa's destructive and bigoted war on drugs."

Stewart's campaign is restarting following his arrest at a protest in Washington D.C. The campaign had been paused last month when he was arrested along with 18 others on trespassing charges during a protest targeting the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) headquarters.

Stewart was protesting on behalf of a friend who was diagnosed with State 4 breast cancer. The friend's request to use the drug psilocybin. Psilocybin is a psychedelic compound produced by more than 200 species of fungi. Stewart argues that psilocybin is legally allowed under the 2018 Right To Try law. Both Senators Grassley and Ernst were supporters of the law.

A trial has been set in Washington D.C. for August 10. For now, Stewart will now resume his campaign and plans to continue to travel across Iowa to attend parades and other events, including the Iowa State Fair.