POLK COUNTY, Iowa — Local 5 has live election results for this race in the story below, and complete primary election results are at this link.
For the first time since the early 1990s, Polk County will soon have a new chief law enforcement officer.
Kimberly Graham won the Democratic nomination for Polk County Attorney with 43% of the vote, according to preliminary results from the Polk County Auditor's website. Laura Roan came in second with 28.8% and Kevin McCarthy third with 27% of the vote.
After a series of controversial prosecutions by the Polk County Attorney's office following the protests in the summer of 2020, including that of Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri, the position's power of discretion to pursue or not pursue cases became a large part of the 2022 Democratic primary.
Longtime current county attorney John Sarcone, a Democrat, was first elected in 1990 but is not seeking a ninth term.
Allan Richards is the only registered Republican running for this office.
Live Election Results
Kimberly Graham
Kimberly Graham is a defense attorney who previously ran for Iowa's U.S. Senate and serves as a member of the NAACP Legal Redress Committee.
Graham campaigned on prioritizing the prosecution of violent crimes like gun violence, homicide and sexual assault over lower-level nonviolent offenses, as well as treating drug addiction and mental health problems as a public health issue. She has also said she will refuse to charge people with low-level marijuana possession or prosecute those seeking or providing abortions.
As part of her goal to end racial and income disparities in prosecution in Polk County, Graham also promised to stop requesting cash bail for nonviolent, low-level offenses.
Graham focused her platform on the power the Polk County Attorney has over their office's practices. Her proposed practices include halting trial penalties and not pushing children to adult courts, in addition to exercising prosecutorial discretion.
Laura Roan
Laura Roan is currently an Assistant Polk County Attorney under Sarcone and a board member of the Iowa Lawyers Assistance Program.
Roan campaigned on keeping guns out of the hands of people like felons and domestic abusers. She also promised to create a special victims unit to handle sexual assault, human trafficking and child neglect crimes.
Unlike Graham, Roan said she will continue prosecuting low-level marijuana possession.
Roan's campaign focused on her level of experience in law — in addition to her current position, she was previously assistant Iowa attorney general.
She also proposed hiring a crime data analyst to collect data and metrics on crime and prosecution in Polk County.
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy is an attorney and long-time politician who served as a representative in the Iowa House (District 67, District 33).
McCarthy campaigned on creating an anti-bullying unit that will work with Iowa schools to reduce bullying, as well as various other specialized units for things like worker exploitation and human trafficking.
McCarthy previously served as the first assistant attorney general for Iowa, the majority leader of the Iowa House and the minority leader of the Iowa House. He received endorsements from some of his prominent former colleagues, including long-time Iowa House Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad.