LEE-GAZETTE DES MOINES BUREAU

DES MOINES — A special election will be held in December in Central Iowa to fill a statehouse seat vacated by the recent death of a state legislator.

Former Iowa Sen. Claire Celsi, a Democrat from Des Moines, died this week at the age of 59. Celsi had been in hospice care after dealing with an undisclosed illness.

Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday set a special election date for Tuesday, Dec. 30, to fill the Iowa Senate seat vacated with Celsi’s death.

Celsi represented Iowa Senate District 16, which covers parts of West Des Moines, Clive and Windsor Heights.

Local political party leaders will meet in the coming weeks to nominate candidates for the special election.

It will be the sixth special election during the current, two-year meeting of the Iowa Genera

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