Carroll Daily Times Herald
by Douglas Burns
Lohrville
Tom Hoefling wears the underdog label with pride.
The Lohrville Republican, a longtime conservative activist, is on the ballot in the GOP gubernatorial primary, the lone challenger there to Gov. Terry Branstad, a five-term officeholder seeking a sixth, four-year stint at Terrace Hill.
Does Hoefling, 53, a political consultant, think he realistically has a chance to defeat Branstad?
"People ask me that all the time," Hoefling said. "I can't beat Branstad, but the people can if they choose to."
Born in Omaha, Neb., and raised in Ralston, Neb., Hoefling has lived in the Lohrville area since the mid-1990s.
"We're poor as a church mouse, and it's primarily because I'm more activist than consultant," said Hoefling, a married father of eight children.
He described himself as "pro-life, pro-family and pro-gun."
"The bottom line is I represent the Republican base," Hoefling said.
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