Jack Hatch, the leading Democratic candidate vying for governor, is set to announce his running mate during a news conference this morning in Cedar Rapids.

The 64-year-old state senator and longtime real-estate developer is set to appear at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 405 union hall, 1211 Wiley Blvd. S.W. at 9 a.m.

Hatch’s announcement comes just two days after Gov. Terry Branstad formally renominated Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds at the 2014 Iowa GOP state convention in downtown Des Moines.

Branstad, 67, is seeking his fifth-term as Iowa governor, making him among the longest-running U.S. governors.

According to the National Woman’s Political Caucus, only 32 women have been elected as governors in the United States.

While Iowa is not among the states that have elected a female governor, female lieutenant governors have served since the late-1980s in the state.

Hatch’s nod may be officially nominated at the Democratic state convention Saturday at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center, 703 Third St., in downtown Des Moines.

Hatch has served in the Iowa Legislature for 22 years.

— by Quentin Misiag