Bachmann Campaign Press Release - Assistant Iowa Senate Leader Merlin Bartz Endorses Bachmann

Urbandale, Iowa – Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann today received the endorsement of state Sen. Merlin Bartz, an influential conservative leader from north central Iowa.

"Merlin Bartz has been a strong voice on the front lines to defend traditional marriage and family values," Bachmann said. "He is a rock-solid conservative and I'm proud to have him standing up for our cause when it matters most – in these crucial weeks leading up to the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses."

Bartz is serving his fourth term in the Iowa Senate following one term in the Iowa House. He is the sixth Iowa senator to endorse Bachmann, joining Kent Sorenson of Indianola, Brad Zaun of Urbandale, Jack Whitver of Ankeny, Mark Chelgren of Ottumwa and Nancy Boettger of Harlan.

A graduate of Luther College, Bartz farms in rural Grafton. He was elected to the Iowa House in 1990 and won his first Senate term in 1992. He served until 2002 when he was appointed Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment and Central Regional Assistant Chief for Natural Resources Conservation Service with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. Bartz returned to Iowa in 2007 and was re-elected to the Iowa Senate in 2008. He and his wife, Lisa, have one son and two daughters.