MASON CITY – A North Iowa prosecutor is continuing her Democratic campaign for Cerro Gordo County Attorney as next Tuesday primary approaches.
Kaitlyn Kemna Ausborn announced January 30, 2026, that she is running for Cerro Gordo County Attorney.
Ausborn has served Cerro Gordo County residents as a prosecutor for the past six and a half years, according to her campaign announcement. Since graduating from law school, she returned to North Iowa and has lived and worked in Mason City, where she is now raising her family and remains active in the community.
Her campaign is also highlighting a personal connection to law enforcement and public service. Ausborn’s father served as a Mason City police officer, an experience her announcement said helped shape her lifelong connection to public service.
As a prosecutor, Ausborn has handled the domestic abuse and sexual assault docket, along with a wide range of other criminal cases. Her campaign said that work has included working closely with victims, law enforcement and courtroom prosecution.
Ausborn is running as a Democrat, making the race part of a broader political landscape in which Iowa has shifted sharply toward Republicans in recent years. Republicans hold the governor’s office, majorities in the Iowa House and Iowa Senate, both U.S. Senate seats and all four of Iowa’s U.S. House seats.
At the county level, Cerro Gordo voter-registration numbers also show a challenging landscape for Democrats, though not a simple two-party picture. According to voter-registration tallies posted by the Cerro Gordo County Auditor and updated May 1, 2026, the county had 29,572 registered voters, including 11,539 no-party voters, 9,984 Republicans, 7,800 Democrats and 249 registered as other.
That means no-party voters make up the largest bloc in Cerro Gordo County, while Republicans outnumber Democrats among registered party voters.
The county attorney’s office is one of the most important elected law-enforcement positions in local government. The office prosecutes criminal cases, works with law enforcement agencies, handles certain juvenile and civil matters, and plays a major role in decisions that affect victims, defendants and public safety across Cerro Gordo County.
Ausborn’s announcement frames her campaign around experience in the courtroom and her work with victims and law enforcement.
“I have spent the past six and a half years serving the people of Cerro Gordo County as a prosecutor,” Ausborn said in the announcement. “This community is my home, and I am running to continue serving it with fairness, accountability and commitment to public safety.”
There appears to be no Republican on the primary ballot.
The 2026 primary election is scheduled for June 2, 2026, with the general election set for November 3, 2026.