DES MOINES - Citing a need for a full accounting of all funds spent in the Secretary of State's office and new Republican leadership at all levels of government to move Iowa forward; the former chairman of the Iowa Legislature Administrative Rules Review Committee, George Eichhorn announced his campaign for Iowa secretary of state.

In making the announcement, Eichhorn said, "Iowans not only want fair elections, they want to know that the Iowa Secretary of State is spending their tax money fairly. The United States Election Assistance Commission's recent audit showed funds were misspent. Only after the audit was released was the public made aware. The current Secretary either ignored the problem or swept it under the rug for years."

The audit summary found among other things, "that the SOS did not account for and expend HAVA funds in accordance with the requirements." And that as of April 30, 2008 (during Mauro's tenure), the State's liability for interest alone on the failure to timely deposit and fully fund the state's matching share of HAVA funding was estimated to be over $12,000. It also found that HAVA funded equipment at most of the counties visited did not comply with federal guidelines and that funded equipment at Mauro's office disclosed items with the wrong serial numbers.

"It should not take an auditor hired by the federal government to come in and find out Iowa's funds were misspent. Iowans want to have trust in state officials. Washington spending is out-of-control and that epidemic of fiscal mismanagement seems to have infected the Secretary of State's office," Eichhorn said, "People are rejecting the Democrats free spending ways. Voters are looking for solid, conservative leadership they can trust."

Eichhorn also announced the names of his initial statewide campaign co-chairs: former Republican Assistant Majority Leader and State Representative Carmine Boal, a conservative leader from Polk County; current Republican Ranking Member of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Committee and State Representative Betty De Boef of Keokuk County; and Republican Lance Ehmcke, an attorney in Sioux City who served on Iowa's Temporary Redistricting Advisory Commission helping redraw election district lines in Iowa.

As a legislator, Eichhorn served as House chairman of the Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee, the committee responsible for the Secretary of State's budget. He was a member of the Appropriations, Judiciary, Ways and Means, Government Oversight, and Public Safety standing committees of the House. Eichhorn left the Legislature in 2007.

A native of Davenport, he is a private practice attorney who has owned a law firm in Des Moines and served as a legislator from rural Hamilton County. He has been married to his wife Shelly, originally from Perry, for more than 20 years.