Bruce Braley to seek Harkin’s Senate seat | Politics

Bruce Braley has announced he’ll run for the Senate seat Tom Harkin will vacate when his term ends in 2014.

Braley, a Democrat, first announced his plans in a post on his Facebook page.  The post shows an image of his campaign logo that includes his Twitter hashtag and website address.

He followed that post with an email sent to supporters.

Braley is running for the seat held by Senator Tom Harkin, 73, who announced in January that he will retire at the end of his term.

“It’s a big responsibility to represent the people of Iowa in the United States Senate, especially after Tom Harkin has shown us how for the last 30 years,” the email said.  “But, if you are willing to help me, I’m ready to go.”

Braley just began his fourth term representing Iowa in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Braley is setting up a committee to handle his campaign, and a formal announcement of his campaign is expected at a later date.