Iowa City business owner Tessler won’t run for Congress
In a Facebook post May 3, Veronica Tessler announced she will withdraw her name from the race to represent Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Veronica Tessler, owner of the frozen yogurt shop Yotopia, asks Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii a question during a meet-and-greet at Yotopia in Iowa City on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Attendees gathered to listen to Gabbard discuss topics such as defunding regime changing wars, environmental policies, and medicare for all.
May 3, 2019
Yotopia owner Veronica Tessler has said in a Facebook post she will withdraw her young candidacy from Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District race because she wants to devote time to her business.
Tessler wrote in a Facebook post on May 3 that she was “faced with the reality that this very moment is not right for me given other responsibilities I must address with my businesses.”
She said there would be news soon on a new location for the Iowa City frozen-yogurt shop.
“These responsibilities would keep me from devoting the time needed for this campaign,” Tessler wrote.
According to federal elections online records, Tessler filed a statement of candidacy to run as a Democrat for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District seat on April 4, a week before incumbent Democrat Rep. Dave Loebsack announced he would retire from what should be a 14-year career in Congress.
Tessler, in addition to owning Yotopia, is a co-founder and co-owner of Maker’s Loft and one of the producers of the Iowa-based political podcast Political Party Live.
A number of other candidates have said they are considering runs for Congress.
Tessler wrote in her post that while she has always wanted to run for public office, voters in the 2nd Congressional District had the opportunity for “fresh, bold leadership” to represent the district.
“I have a deep love for this community and believe strongly in the need for bold leadership given what’s at stake at this moment in history,” Tessler said, listing qualities in a candidate such as supporting a Green New Deal and Medicare for all, taking action on immigration reform, and “break[ing] up Big Ag” as those she believes would make a strong candidate for the district.
