Burlington City Councilman Matt Rinker is making a run for the Iowa Senate.
Rinker announced his candidacy via Facebook Friday and will be running for Iowa State District 44 Senate as a Republican.
State Sen. Tom Greene, a Republican from Burlington, will not seek a second term in the Iowa Legislature, leaving open a swing seat that is considered a must-win for Democrats desperate to gain more leverage in a chamber where they are greatly outnumbered.
Greene, elected to represent Senate District 44 in 2016, ousted Democrat Tom Courtney in a surprise upset, riding a Republican wave that swept through the Statehouse and across the country.
District 44 includes all of Des Moines and Louisa counties and part of Muscatine County in southeast Iowa.
Rinker joins an increasingly crowded Senate race.
Tom Courtney, who represented District 44 from 2003-2017, announced in August he was running to retake the seat.
Rex Troute, a retired journalist and author from Burlington, and Kevin Warth, a farmer from Des Moines County, also are running in the Democratic primary.
Tim Goodwin, a Republican, also filed papers to run for Greene's seat. Goodwin began his career with a community relations position in the NBA. He returned to Iowa to become a teacher and high school administrator. He is now self-employed.
Rinker was elected to the Burlington City Council three years ago and said he will bank on that experience if he’s elected.
“I believe that my experiences as a veteran, small business owner, community leader, and father, have prepared me for this great opportunity to serve our district,” he said in a press release.
Former Mayor Shane McCampbell, who just finished up an 8-year stint on the council, recently announced that he will be running for Des Moines County Board of Supervisors.
Iowa Starting Line Reporter Elizabeth Meyer contributed to this report.